Famous Roots

Donna Reed's Burial Site

2010-02-13T12:40:00.000-05:00

Donna Reed is probably best remembered for her roles as the wholesome housewife Donna Stone on television's The Donna Reed Show and as Mary Bailey in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946). She is intereed at the Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

J. D. Salinger (1919 - 2010)

2010-01-28T18:55:00.000-05:00

J. D. Salinger, who was thought at one time to be the most important American writer to emerge since World War II but who then turned his back on success and adulation, becoming the Garbo of letters, famous for not wanting to be famous, died on Wednesday at his home in Cornish, N.H., where he had lived in seclusion for more than 50 years. He was 91. (Source: The New York Times)

Teddy Pendergrass (1950 - 2010)

2010-01-14T18:50:00.000-05:00

R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass, who was one of the most electric and successful figures in music until a car crash 28 years ago left him in a wheelchair, has died of colon cancer. He was 59. (Source: ABCnews.com)

Brittany Murphy (1977 - 2009)

2009-12-20T19:26:00.000-05:00

Brittany Murphy, the bubbly, free-spirited actress who appeared in such films as "Clueless" and "8 Mile," died Sunday, apparently of natural causes, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said. She was 32. (Source: CNN.com)

Carl Wilson's Burial Site

2009-11-02T12:23:00.000-05:00

American rock and roll singer and guitarist, Carl Wilson, is best known as the co-founder and lead guitarist of The Beach Boys, with his older brothers Brian Wilson and Dennis Wilson. Carl is interred at the Woodlawn Memorial Park in Hollywood.

Soupy Sales (1926 - 2009)

2009-10-23T18:16:00.000-04:00

Soupy Sales, a comic with a gift for slapstick who attained cult-like popularity in the 1960s with a pie-throwing routine that became his signature, has died. He was 83. (Source: LATimes.com)

Gene Autry's Burial Site

2009-10-13T12:18:00.000-04:00

Best known as the "Singing Cowboy," Gene Autry got his start in 1926 while singing and playing his guitar to pass the time at his telegraph operator's job. He is interred at Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills on 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in Los Angeles.

Patrick Swayze (1952 - 2009)

2009-09-14T22:03:00.004-04:00

Actor Patrick Swayze has died after a battle with cancer, he was 57 years old. Patrick Wayne Swayze was born on August 18, 1952, in Houston, Texas. His father was an engineering draftsman; his mother was a ballet dancer and later the director of the Houston Ballet Dance Company. Swayze is survived by his wife, Lisa, of over 30 years and his mother, Patsy. (Source: CNN.com)

Ty Cobb in 1920 and 1930 Census

2009-07-12T15:54:00.000-04:00

We found Hall of Fame baseball player, nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," Ty Cobb (age 43) in the 1930 Census with his wife, Charlotte "Charlie" M. (39), and children, Ty Jr. (20) and Shirley (18) living in Augusta, Georgia.

Karl Malden (1913 - 2009)

2009-07-01T16:18:00.000-04:00

Karl Malden, the Academy Award-winning actor whose intelligent characterizations on stage and screen made him a star despite his plain looks, died Wednesday. He was 97. Malden is survived by his wife, Mona, daughters Mila and Cara, his sons-in-law, three granddaughters, and four great grandchildren. (Source: AP via Yahoo! News)

Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009)

2009-06-25T19:25:00.003-04:00

Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead today. Jackson has three children -- sons Prince Michael 7, and Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., 12, and daughter Paris Michael Katherine, 11. (Source: Los Angeles Times)

Farrah Fawcett (1947 - 2009)

2009-06-25T14:21:00.002-04:00

Farrah Fawcett, the actress whose best-selling poster and "Charlie's Angels" stardom made her one of the most famous faces in the world, died Thursday. She was 62. (Source: CNN.com)

Ed McMahon (1923 - 2009)

2009-06-23T10:47:00.004-04:00

Ed McMahon, the longtime pitchman and Johnny Carson sidekick whose "Heeeeeeerre's Johnny!" became a part of the vernacular, has died. He was 86. He is survived by his wife, Pamela, and five children. A sixth child, McMahon's son Michael, died in 1995. (Source: CNN.com)

David Carradine (1936 - 2009)

2009-06-06T11:55:00.004-04:00

American actor David Carradine has been found dead, in Bangkok, Thailand, according to a Thai police official. Carradine became famous in the 1970s when he starred in the television series "Kung Fu." He was the son of actor John Carradine. (Source: CNN.com)

Jean Harlow in the 1920 & 1930 Census

2009-05-22T15:46:00.000-04:00

We found American film actress and sex symbol of the 1930s, Jean Harlow (age 19), living with her mother, Jean (39), in Beverly Hills. In 1920, she was living in Kansas City, Missouri with her father, Montclair, whom her mother later divorced in 1922.

Dom DeLuise (1933 - 2009)

2009-05-05T12:28:00.001-04:00

Dom DeLuise, who spiced up such movies as "Blazing Saddles," "Silent Movie" and "The Cannonball Run" with his manic delivery and roly-poly persona, has died. DeLuise had three sons -- Peter, Michael and David -- who all became actors. (Source: CNN.com)

Danny Gans (1956 - 2009)

2009-05-01T12:44:00.001-04:00

Danny Gans, a popular mainstay on the Las Vegas Strip, died Friday morning at his home in Henderson, Nev. He was 52. Gans is survived by his wife and their children, Amy, Andrew and Emily. (Source: Los Angeles Times)

Bea Arthur (1922 - 2009)

2009-04-27T12:57:00.001-04:00

Bea Arthur, the actress best known for her roles as television's "Maude" and the sardonic Dorothy on "The Golden Girls," has died of cancer. She is survived by her sons Matthew and Daniel and grandchildren Kyra and Violet. (Source: CNN.com)

Michael Landon's Burial Site

2009-04-15T12:34:00.000-04:00

American actor, writer, director, and producer, Michael Landon is widely known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza (1959-1973), Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983), and Jonathan Smith in Highway To Heaven (1984-1989). He is interred at Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, Ca.

Natasha Richardson (1963 - 2009)

2009-03-18T13:21:00.001-04:00

Natasha Richardson, the daughter of Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave and the late director Tony Richardson, died Wednesday following a ski accident. Richardson and husband, Liam Neeson, have two children: Michael, 13, and Daniel, 12. (Source: CNN.com)

Ricardo Montalban (1920 - 2009)

2009-01-15T13:52:00.001-05:00

Ricardo Montalban, one of the first Mexican-born actors to make it big in Hollywood and who was best known for his role as Mr. Roarke on TV's "Fantasy Island," has died. Montalban is survived by two daughters, Laura Montalban and Anita Smith; two sons, Mark Montalban and Victor Montalban; and six grandchildren. (Source: Los Angeles Times)c

Eartha Kitt (1927 - 2008)

2008-12-26T14:18:00.000-05:00

Eartha Kitt, a sultry singer, dancer and actress who rose from South Carolina cotton fields to become an international symbol of elegance and sensuality, has died, a family spokesman said. She was 81. She is survived by her daughter, Kitt. (Source: AP via MSNBC.com)

Jayne Mansfield's Burial Site

2008-08-31T12:36:00.001-04:00

An American actress who worked both on Broadway and in Hollywood, Jayne Mansfield was one of the leading blonde sex symbols of the 1950s. She is interred in Fairview Cemetery, Pen Argyl, Pa.

George Carlin (1937 - 2008)

2008-06-23T11:04:00.000-04:00

George Carlin, the influential comedian whose routines used profanity, scatology and absurdity to point out the silliness and hypocrisy of human life, has died. He was 71. Carlin, who had a history of heart trouble, died of heart failure Sunday. He is survived by his wife, Sally Wade; daughter Kelly Carlin McCall; son-in-law Bob McCall; brother Patrick Carlin; and sister-in-law Marlene Carlin. Carlin's first wife, Brenda, died in 1997. (Source: AP via CNN.com)

Cyd Charisse (1923 - 2008)

2008-06-18T15:01:00.001-04:00

Cyd Charisse, the long-legged Texas beauty who danced with the Ballet Russe as a teenager and starred in MGM musicals with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, died Tuesday. She was 86. (Source: AP via CNN.com)