Where Are They Buried?

Where Are They Buried?: How Did They Die? Fitting Ends and Final Resting Places of the Famous, Infamous, and Noteworthy by Tod Benoit

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Any collection of famous people’s grave sites is going to be idiosyncratic. Ask 10 people whose graves they would like to visit and you will get 100 different answers. That said, this is the most comprehensive guide to the graves of the famous that you will find outside of Find-a-grave.

Mostly that is because — without photographs of the grave monuments in question — this book can include a whole lot of people whose ashes have been scattered. It seems a shame not to be able to leave a kitchen knife at the grave of Alfred Hitchcock, but perhaps that’s for the best. I would have loved to leave a rose at the grave of John Lennon, but the mosaic in the middle of Strawberry Fields in Central Park will have to do.

Included in the book is the grave of Fred Gwynne, best known at Herman Munster on TV. Gwynne is buried in an unmarked grave. Despite the directions to an unmarked plot where the author claims Gwynne is buried, the cemetery itself discourages visitors. It makes me sad that someone who gave such joy to strangers is consigned to the ground without a monument — and those who might wish to leave thanks at his grave are turned away.

Be that as it may, this is an entertaining and comprehensive encyclopedia. I’ve gotten hours of fun from it.

You can order your own copy from Amazon.

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