Gregg Toland

popular name: Carl Switzer

date_of_death: January 21, 1959

age: 31

cause_of_death: Gunshot wounds

claim_to_fame: Show Business

best_know_for: Carl Switzer, the actor who as a child played Alfalfa in the Our Gang comedy film series, was the freckle-faced boy with a warbling singing voice and a cowlick protruding from the top of his head. It was Switzer’s best-known role in his short-lived Hollywood career. Our Gang revolved around a group of ragtag children and their adventures. In addition to Alfalfa, the ensemble of memorable characters included Spanky, Darla, Buckwheat, Froggy, Stymie and Pete the dog. Our Gang was considered groundbreaking in that it featured white and black child actors interacting equally. Switzer played Alfalfa from the mid-1930s to the early 1940s. In 1955, the Our Gang films were turned into a hugely popular TV series called The Little Rascals; however, Switzer never received any royalties from the show. After Our Gang, Switzer found small roles in movies and on television, but his most successful days in Hollywood were behind him. He made money working odd jobs, including stints as a hunting guide and bartender, and had several run-ins with the police. On January 21, 1959, Switzer and a friend went to the Mission Hills home of Moses “Bud” Stiltz, to collect a debt Switzer believed he was owed. A fight broke out, during which Stiltz shot and killed Switzer. A jury later ruled the incident justifiable homicide. Carl was laid to rest at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

popular name: Totie Fields

date_of_death: August 2, 1978

age: 48

cause_of_death: Pulmonary embolism

claim_to_fame: Show Business

best_know_for: Totie Fields was an American comedian who got her start on the east coast in nightclubs when Ed Sullivan saw her show at the Copacabana in New York Cith and gave Fields her first big break when he booked her on his show. She made multiple appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Mike Douglas Show, The Merv Griffin Show, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. She also appeared in a 1971 episode of The Carol Burnett Show (Season 4, Episode 21) and a 1972 episode of Here's Lucy (Season 5, Episode 7) starring Lucille Ball. During the last two years of her life, Miss Fields had undergone surgery several times including the removal of her leg, breast and eye surgery, and suffered two heart attacks. Nevertheless, in 1978, during the last year of her life, Fields was voted "Entertainer of the Year" and "Female Comedy Star of the Year" by the American Guild of Variety Artists. Upon the passing of Totie Fields she was laid to rest at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California.

popular name: Gracie Allen

date_of_death: December 31, 1969

age: 69

cause_of_death: Heart attack due to heart disease

claim_to_fame: Show Business

best_know_for: Gracie Allen was an accomplished comedian and actress. She was best known for her contribution to weekly radio program ‘Burns and Allen’, which she aired along with her husband, comedian George Burns. Allen was the most loved comedian of the 1930s. Her epic chemistry with George led the duo to assemble numerous comedy shows, where Allen played the comic foil of her husband. The duo had also starred in a number of movies. Some of them were ‘The Big Broadcast’, ‘Six of a Kind’, ‘College Holiday’, ‘A Damsel in Distress’, ‘A Foggy Day’ etc. Gracie finally retired from the show business in 1958, after getting tired of playing the same character for so many years.