Gene Autry

AKA:

The Singing Cowboy

Birth Name:

Orvon Grover Autry

Birth Date:

September 29, 1907

Birth Place:

Tioga, Texas

Death Date:

October 2, 1998

Place of Death:

10985 Bluffside Drive, Studio City, Los Angeles, California

Age:

Cause of Death:

Lymphoma

Cemetery Name:

Forest Lawn Memorial Park – Hollywood Hills

Claim to Fame:

Music

Gene Autry, nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning style on radio, in films, and on television for more than three decades beginning in the early 1930s. Autry was the owner of a television station, several radio stations in Southern California, and the Los Angeles/California Angels Major League Baseball team from 1961 to 1997. From 1934 to 1953, Autry appeared in 93 films, and between 1950 and 1956 hosted The Gene Autry Show television series. During the 1930s and 1940s, he personified the straight-shooting hero—honest, brave, and true. Autry was also one of the most important pioneering figures in the history of country music, considered the second major influential artist of the genre's development after Jimmie Rodgers. His singing cowboy films were the first vehicle to carry country music to a national audience. In addition to his signature song, "Back in the Saddle Again" and his hit "At Mail Call Today", Autry is still remembered for his Christmas songs, most especially his biggest hit "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" as well as "Frosty the Snowman", "Here Comes Santa Claus", and "Up on the House Top"

Fun Facts

Autry is a member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and is the only person to be awarded stars in all five categories on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for film, television, music, radio, and live performance. The town of Gene Autry, Oklahoma, was named in his honor, as was the Gene Autry precinct in Mesa, Arizona.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Forest Lawn Memorial Park – Hollywood Hills

6300 Forest Lawn Drive

Los Angeles, California, 90068

USA

North America

Map:

Cemetery map of Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, California

Grave Location:

Sheltering Hills, Lot 1048, Space 2

Grave Location Description

As you enter the cemetery drive 300 feet past the gates and park on your right. Look up the hillside for a large statue. As you walk towards the statue look to your right for Lot 1048 until you find the large bronze flat monument which marks the final resting place of The Singing Cowboy, Gene Autry.

Grave Location GPS

34.148356944983384, -118.32620564884931

Photos:

[+]

Videos Featuring Gene Autry:

The Gene Autry Show - Episode 1, Season 1

Gene Autry on "David Letterman" 1982

Gene Autry - From Poverty to Wealth, Jerry Skinner Documentry

Gene Autry Interview

Former Palm Springs Hone of Gene Autry

Gene Autry Sings Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer on the Ed Sullivan Show

Gene Autry Obituary TNN

Gene Autry Gravesite

See More:

Joey Ramone

T-Bone Walker

Mahalia Jackson

popular name: Mahalia Jackson

date_of_death: January 27, 1972

age: 60

cause_of_death: Post surgical complications to remove a bowel obstruction

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Known as the Queen of Gospel Music, Mahalia Jackson was an American gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was integral to the development and spread of gospel blues in black churches throughout the U.S. During a time when racial segregation was pervasive in American society, she met considerable and unexpected success in a recording career, selling an estimated 22 million records and performing in front of integrated and secular audiences in concert halls around the world. Nationwide recognition came for Jackson in 1947 with the release of "Move On Up a Little Higher", selling two million copies and hitting the number two spot on Billboard charts, both firsts for gospel music. Jackson's recordings captured the attention of jazz fans in the U.S. and France, and she became the first gospel recording artist to tour Europe. She regularly appeared on television and radio, and performed for many presidents and heads of state. In January 1972, she received surgery to remove a bowel obstruction and died in recovery. Although news outlets had reported on her health problems and concert postponements for years, her death came as a shock to many of her fans. She received a funeral service at Greater Salem Baptist Church in Chicago where she was still a member. Fifty thousand people paid their respects, many of them lining up in the snow the night before, and her peers in gospel singing performed in her memory the next morning. The day after, Mayor Richard Daley and other politicians and celebrities gave their eulogies at the Arie Crown Theater with 6,000 in attendance. Her body was returned to New Orleans where she lay in state at Rivergate Auditorium under a military and police guard, and 60,000 people viewed her casket.