Vernon Castle

Birth Name:
William Vernon Blyth
Birth Date:
05/02/1887
Birth Place:
Norwich, Norfolk, England
Death Date:
02/15/1918
Place of Death:
Benbrook Airfield, Fort Worth, Texas
Age:
30
Cause of Death:
Airplane crash
Cemetery Name:
Woodlawn Cemetery
Claim to Fame:
Other Entertainers
Associates:
Vernon Castle and his wife Irene Castle were the best known ballroom dancers of the early 20th Century. Beginning about 1914 they operated several clubs and studios in the New York City area, toured the country dancing, and were able to charge as much as a thousand dollars an hour for lessons. They are credited with reviving the popularity of modern dancing. The couple reached the peak of their popularity in Irving Berlin's first Broadway show, Watch Your Step (1914), in which they refined and popularized the Foxtrot. They also helped to promote ragtime, jazz rhythms and African-American music for dance. Irene became a fashion icon through her appearances on stage and in early movies, and both Castles were in demand as teachers and writers on dance.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Woodlawn Cemetery

4199 Webster Avenue

Bronx, New York, 10470

USA

North America

Map:

Grave Location:

H-2 Parkview

Grave Location Description

From the Jerome Avenue entrance, turn left on West Border Avenue and then right on Park View Avenue. Stay to the left and park at the Wedell monument on your left. Irene And Vernon Castle’s grave is about 75 feet northwest of the road across the lawn on your left directly behind the Wedell monument.

Grave Location GPS

40.890587, -73.877121

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