Cornell Woolrich

AKA:

William Irish, George Hopley

Birth Name:

Cornell George Hopley Woolrich

Birth Date:

December 4, 1903

Birth Place:

New York City, New York

Death Date:

September 25, 1968

Place of Death:

Hotel Franconia, New York City, New York

Age:

Cause of Death:

Stroke

Cemetery Name:

Ferncliff Cemetery

Claim to Fame:

Writers and Poets

Cornell Woolrich was an American novelist and short story writer. He published six 'jazz-age' novels, and is known best for his prolific work in pulp and detective fiction under his pseudonyms William Irish and George Hopley.

What Woolrich lacked in literary prestige he made up for in suspense. Nobody was better at it. He achieved financial success and even fame during his lifetime, but enjoyed neither, living alone or with his ailing mother in a series of decrepit New York City hotel rooms for most of his life.

Shortly after losing a leg to gangrene out of sheer self-neglect, he died miserable and alone of a stroke on September 25th, 1968. Five people attended his funeral. He left his money ($850,000) to Columbia University to fund a writers program.

In the fall of 1951, shortly after Woolrich had stopped writing and had begun a long slow descent into alcoholism, loneliness, and illness, he told a fan that, of the novels he’d written, his two personal favorites were The Black Angel (1943) and Rendezvous In Black (1948).

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Ferncliff Cemetery

280 Secor Road

Hartsdale, New York, 10530

USA

North America

Map:

Map of Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York

Grave Location:

Shrine of Memories Mausoleum, Unit 1, Tier G, Crypt 102

Grave Location Description

After entering through the entrance between Cherrywood and Maplewood head northeast along the road to the Shrine of Memories Mausoleum. Park your car in the parking area and enter through the main entrance. Take the first right into Unit 1 and Cornell Woolrich’s grave will be on your left on the second row from the bottom.