Tom Wolfe

Birth Name:

Thomas Kennerly Wolfe Jr.

Birth Date:

March 2, 1930

Birth Place:

Richmond, Virginia

Death Date:

May 14, 2018

Place of Death:

New York City, New York

Age:

Cause of Death:

Infection

Cemetery Name:

Hollywood Cemetery

Claim to Fame:

Writers and Poets

Tom Wolfe was an innovative journalist and novelist whose technicolor, wildly punctuated prose brought to life the worlds of California surfers, car customizers, astronauts and Manhattan’s moneyed status-seekers in works like "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" (a highly experimental account of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters) “The Right Stuff” and “Bonfire of the Vanities.” But as an unabashed contrarian, he was almost as well known for his attire as his satire. He was instantly recognizable as he strolled down Madison Avenue — a tall, slender, blue-eyed, still boyish-looking man in his spotless three-piece vanilla bespoke suit, pinstriped silk shirt with a starched white high collar, bright handkerchief peeking from his breast pocket, watch on a fob, faux spats and white shoes. Once asked to describe his get-up, Mr. Wolfe replied brightly, “Neo-pretentious.”

Fun Fact:

Wolfe adopted wearing a white suit as a trademark in 1962. He bought his first white suit, planning to wear it in the summer, in the style of Southern gentlemen. He found that the suit he’d bought was too heavy for summer use, so he wore it in winter, which created a sensation. At the time, white suits were supposed to be reserved for summer wear. Wolfe maintained this as a trademark. He sometimes accompanied it with a white tie, white homburg hat, and two-tone spectator shoes. Wolfe said that the outfit disarmed the people he observed, making him, in their eyes, “a man from Mars, the man who didn’t know anything and was eager to know.”

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Hollywood Cemetery

412 South Cherry Street

Richmond, Virginia, 23220

United States

North America

Map:

Map of Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond VA

Grave Location:

Section 31, Plot 261

Grave Location Description

As you enter the cemetery take an immediate left onto Eastvale Avenue. Drive to the first intersection and turn right onto Freeman Avenue. Drive up the hill to the third intersection and turn left onto Clark Springs Circle driving 200 feet and then park. Walk approximately 12 graves into Section 31 on your left and look for the “W” atop the square monument to signal the final resting place of Tom Wolfe.