Artie Shaw

AKA:

The Reluctant King of Swing

Birth Name:

Arthur Jacob Arshawsky

Birth Date:

May 23, 1910

Birth Place:

New York, New York

Death Date:

December 30, 2004

Place of Death:

2127 Palos Court, Thousand Oaks, California

Age:

Cause of Death:

Natural causes

Cemetery Name:

Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park

Claim to Fame:

Music

Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Artie Shaw led one of the United States' most popular big bands in the late 1930s through the early 1940s. Though he had numerous hit records, he was perhaps best known for his 1938 recording of Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine." Before the release of "Beguine," Shaw and his fledgling band had languished in relative obscurity for over two years and, after its release, he became a major pop artist within short order. The record eventually became one of the era's defining recordings. Musically restless, Shaw was also an early proponent of what became known much later as Third Stream music, which blended elements of classical and jazz forms and traditions. At the height of his popularity, he remained a force in popular music and jazz before retiring from music completely in 1954.

Fun Facts

A self-proclaimed “very difficult man” (he was actually an abusive husband and a full-blown jerk to everyone else), Artie Shaw was married eight times. Two marriages were annulled; the others ended in divorce: Jane Cairns (1932–33; annulled); Margaret Allen (1934–37); actress Lana Turner (1940); Betty Kern, the daughter of songwriter Jerome Kern (1942–43); actress Ava Gardner (1945–46); Forever Amber author Kathleen Winsor (1946–48; annulled); actress Doris Dowling (1952–56), and actress Evelyn Keyes (1957–85). He had two sons, Steven Kern (with Betty Kern) and Jonathan Shaw (with Doris Dowling). Both Lana Turner and Ava Gardner later described Shaw as being extremely emotionally abusive. His controlling nature and incessant verbal abuse drove Turner to have a nervous breakdown, soon after which she divorced him. In 1940, before eloping with Lana Turner, Shaw briefly dated actresses Betty Grable and Judy Garland and allegedly had an affair with Lena Horne.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park

5600 Lindero Canyon Road

Westlake Village, California, 91362

USA

North America

Map:

Map of Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, California

Grave Location:

Tranquility Estate Gardens, Plot 5

Grave Location Description

From the main entrance, drive straight ahead and turn left on the second street at Tranquility Estate Gardens. Between the first and second walkways on the left, park at the large tree on the left. The grave is under the tree, just to the right five spaces from the road.