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". Upon his death, he was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California.

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:

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FAQ's

Gene Autry was born on September 29, 1907.

Gene Autry was born in Tioga, Texas.

Gene Autry died on October 2, 1998.

Gene Autry died in 10985 Bluffside Drive, Studio City, Los Angeles, California.

Gene Autry was 91.

The cause of death was Lymphoma.

Gene Autry's grave is in Forest Lawn Memorial Park – Hollywood Hills

Videos Featuring Gene Autry:

The Gene Autry Show - Episode 1, Season 1

Watch YouTube video titled Gene Autry on

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

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Lead Belly

popular name: Lead Belly

date_of_death: December 6, 1949

age: 60

cause_of_death: Lou Gehrig's disease

claim_to_fame: Music

best_know_for: Lead Belly (born Huddie William Ledbetter) was a renowned American folk and blues musician. His life was marked by his powerful voice, virtuosic 12-string guitar playing, and a history filled with both talent and adversity. More than any other blues/folk artist, Lead Belly possessed and recorded a library of ballards, blues, dance songs and minstrels richer than any other performer this century. As a young man, Lead Belly developed a strong love for music and was influenced by a wide range of styles, including traditional folk, blues, and gospel. Unfortunately his life took a dramatic turn in 1917 when he was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison. Released in 1925, Lead Belly returned to farm labor during the day and juke joints and honky tonks at night. Five years later he found himself back in prison for attempted murder. During his incarceration, he gained a reputation for his singing and guitar playing, and his performances caught the attention of a couple of folklorists, John and Alan Lomax, who recorded his music. This led to his release from prison in 1933. After being freed, Lead Belly followed Alan Lomax to New York City where he recorded over 200 songs for the Library of Congress and American Record Company. During his time in NYC he recorded such classics as “Goodnight Irene,” “The Rock Island Line,” "Black Betty" and “Midnight Special.” After serving a brief sentence for assault in 1939, he began working with other folk artist such as Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Brownie McGhee. He moved to Hollywood for a brief time but moved back to NYC for good in 1947. Separated from his southern roots, Lead Belly failed to build a black audience and what few records he did sell were to white, urban hipsters. He toured Paris hoping to build a European audience but that too was a financial failure. During what came to be his final tour he began to notice spasms in both hands. Diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS), he passed away shortly after on December 6, 1949 at the age of 60. In a sadly ironic twist, he was virtually penniless when he died only to have his song “Goodnight, Irene” became a million-record hit for the singing group the Weavers. Upon his death he was laid to rest at Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery in Mooringsport, Louisiana.

Gene Autry