Jimmy Van Heusen

AKA:

James Van Heusen

Birth Name:

Edward Chester Babcock

Birth Date:

January 26, 1913

Birth Place:

Syracuse, New York

Death Date:

February 6, 1990

Place of Death:

Rancho Mirage, California,

Age:

Cause of Death:

Complications after stroke

Cemetery Name:

Desert Memorial Park

Claim to Fame:

Music

Associates:

James Van Heusen was an American composer who wrote songs for films, television and theater, and won an Emmy and four Academy Awards for Best Original Song. In 1940 Jimmy teamed up with the lyricist Johnny Burke and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Swinging on a Star" (1944). Van Heusen then teamed up with lyricist Sammy Cahn. Their three Academy Awards for Best Song were won for "All the Way" (1957) from The Joker Is Wild, "High Hopes" (1959) from A Hole in the Head, and "Call Me Irresponsible" (1963) from Papa's Delicate Condition. Cahn and Van Heusen also wrote "Love and Marriage" (1955), "To Love and Be Loved", "Come Fly with Me", "Only the Lonely", and "Come Dance with Me" with many of their compositions being the title songs for Frank Sinatra's albums of the late 1950s. Van Heusen wrote the music for five Broadway musicals: Swingin' the Dream (1939); Nellie Bly (1946), Carnival in Flanders (1953), Skyscraper (1965), and Walking Happy (1966). All in all Jimmy composed over 1000 songs of which 50 songs became classic American standards. Van Heusen songs are featured in over 600 films and he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song 14 times in 12 different years (in both 1945 and 1964 he was nominated for two songs), and won four times: in 1944, 1957, 1959, and 1963.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Desert Memorial Park

31-705 Da Vall Drive

Cathedral City, California, 92262

USA

North America

Map:

Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California Cemetery Map

Grave Location:

Section B-8, Plot 63

Grave Location Description

As you enter the cemetery from Ramon Road, drive 100 feet and park near the tree with the B-8 sign. Walk to your right and go to the 1st row to the right of the tree and count 7 markers down the row and you will find songwriter Jimmy with his wife by his side.