Rosenberg, Julius and Ethel
Crime and their Victims
Age
- June 19, 1953
Wellwood Cemetery / West Babylon / New York / USA / North America
It was a case that mesmerized the country and the world. On June 19, 1953, at the height of the Cold War, New York City–born Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were put to death in the electric chair. Convicted of conspiring to pass ato...
Isley, O'Kelly
Music
Age 48
December 25, 1937 - March 31, 1986
George Washington Memorial Park / Paramus / New Jersey / USA / North America
The eldest of the Isley Brothers, Kelly started singing with his brothers at church when in 1944 he and his three younger brothers (Rudy, Ronnie and Vernon) formed The Isley Brothers and toured the gospel circuit. Following the de...
Modigliani, Amedeo
Artists
Age 35
July 12, 1884 - January 24, 1920
Cimetière du Père Lachaise / Paris / France / Europe
Amedeo Modigliani was an Italian-born artist who moved to Paris in 1906, where he became known for his distinctive portraits and nudes, characterized by a surreal elongation of faces, necks, and figures — works that were not re...
Booker, James
Music
Age 43
December 17, 1939 - November 8, 1983
Providence Memorial Park / Metairie / Louisiana / USA / North America
Booker was a New Orleans rhythm and blues keyboardist whose unique style combined rhythm and blues with jazz standards. Musician Dr. John described Booker as "the best black, gay, one-eyed junkie piano genius New Orleans has ever ...
Hill, Betty
The Odd and the Interesting
Age 85
June 28, 1919 - October 23, 2004
Greenwood Cemetery / Kingston / New Hampshire / USA / North America
Betty and Barney Hill lived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire where Betty was a social worker and Barney was a postal worker. The couple were catapulted into the international spotlight when in September 1961 they claimed to have been ...
Allen, Fred
Show Business
Age 61
May 31, 1894 - March 17, 1956
Gate of Heaven Cemetery / Hawthorne / New York / USA / North America
Fred Allen was an American comedian with a talent for ad-lib. His absurdist topically-pointed radio program The Fred Allen Show (1932–1949) made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the Golden Age of Amer...
McGonagle, Donald
Crime and their Victims
Age 32
May 28, 1937 - November 18, 1969
New Calvary Cemetery / Mattapan / Massachusetts / USA / North America
Donnie McGonagle was a member of the South Boston McGonagle Family, but not a member of the Mullen Gang run by his twin brother Paulie McGonagle. He had the misfortune of looking so much like his brother when Winter Hill member Wh...
Burnette, Dorsey
Music
Age 46
December 28, 1932 - August 19, 1979
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) / Glendale / California / USA / North America
The Burnette brothers, Dorsey and Johnny, are best remembered for their seminal rockabilly recordings for Coral in the mid-1950s. With lead guitarist Paul Burlison and brother Dorsey, Johnny Burnette founded the pioneering, but la...
Broonzy, Big Bill
Music
Age 55
June 26, 1903 - August 15, 1958
Lincoln Cemetery / Blue Island / Illinois / USA / North America
Big Bill Broonzy was an American blues singer, songwriter and guitarist and was one of the few country blues musicians of the '20s and '30s to find success when the music evolved into an electric, urbanized form. From his initial ...
Sullivan, Tommy
Crime and their Victims
Age 38
July 9, 1919 - December 22, 1957
New Calvary Cemetery / Mattapan / Massachusetts / USA / North America
Tommy Sullivan was a local light heavyweight sensation known for his almost mythical physical strength and a hard-charging, teeth-clenching, just-try-and-stop-me fighting style. Often heard hollering, “Come on, come on!” at hi...
Ray, Johnnie
Music
Age 63
January 10, 1927 - February 24, 1990
Hopewell Cemetery / Dayton / Oregon / USA / North America
In the early 1950s, Johnnie Ray was arguably the biggest musical star in the world. His emotional singing and sexually suggestive performances earned him the titles "The Prince of Wails," "The Cry Guy," and "The Million Dollar Tea...
Douglas, Kirk
Show Business
Age 103
December 9, 1916 - February 5, 2020
Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park / Los Angeles / California / USA / North America
The story of Kirk Douglas is the story of how an epitome of underprivilege had become world famous – recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur, fulfilling the roles of Van Gogh, Spartac...
Oliver, King
Music
Age 52
December 19, 1885 - April 10, 1938
Woodlawn Cemetery / Bronx / New York / USA / North America
A pioneering jazz trumpet and cornet player, songwriter and bandleader Joseph “King” Oliver played an instrumental role in the popularization of jazz outside of New Orleans. Though born in Louisiana, Oliver spent much of his c...
Greenberg, Hank
Sports
Age 75
January 1, 1911 - September 4, 1986
Hillside Memorial Park / Culver City / California / USA / North America
Standing at six-foot-four, 215-pound Hank Greenberg was a baseball legend who played first base and outfield for the Detroit Tigers from 1930 to 1946. Greenberg, who was the American League's most valuable player in 1935 and 1940,...
Rawls, Lou
Music
Age 72
December 1, 1933 - January 6, 2006
Forest Lawn Memorial Park – Hollywood Hills / Los Angeles / California / USA / North America
Lou Rawls, the velvet-voiced singer who started as a church choir boy and went on to record the classic tune "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine," was one of the great synthesisers of American popular music. He applied his v...