Mary Wilson

Posted in Holy Cross Cemetery (CA) with tags , , , on August 24, 2026 by Cade

March 6, 1944 – February 8, 2021

Diana Ross may have been the most famous Supreme…but even she left the group. Only one member never left the Motown hitmakers: the legendary Mary Wilson.

Wilson founded the group (known originally as the Primettes) alongside schoolmate and friend, Florence Ballard, with Ross and Betty McGlown joining by recommendation from the Primes members, Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams. By 1962, the group was a trio and had a contract with Motown and had changed their name to “the Supremes.” The next 7 years would be one of the most successful runs in American pop music history.

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James Caan

Posted in Eden Memorial Park with tags , on August 17, 2026 by Cade

March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022

“A lot of stars take a while to warm up – Caan was good from the beginning.” – Stephen Vagg

As a kid in New York, James Edmund Caan, fancied himself a boxer. He often fought in the streets with friends and when he went to college, football was his life. He never graduated from college and football soon took a back seat to something new and exciting for the young man: acting.

Off-Broadway led to Broadway, which led to television and, ultimately, film. By his mid-20s, Caan was filming alongside the likes of Olivia de Haviland, John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. He gained fans – both the public and his co-stars – with every performance. In 1969, he starred in the movie, The Rain People, which was written a directed by Francis Ford Coppola and co-starred Robert Duvall.

It would not be the last time the three worked together.

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Suzanne Somers

Posted in Desert Memorial Park with tags , , on August 10, 2026 by Cade

October 16, 1946 – October 15, 2023

We have all heard every adage about blondes. Blondes have more fun. Gentlemen prefer blondes. She’s having a blonde moment…

Whatever stereotype you choose to accept or deny, one thing can’t be argued: Blondes get noticed.

So, when a bubbly blonde from California gets her first role in a motion picture (1973’s American Graffiti) and is billed as “Blonde in Thunderbird”…well, you better believe a career arc has been born.

Suzanne Somers (née Mahoney) didn’t have the best home life growing up. Her father was an alcoholic and was abusive. She was dyslexic and struggled in school. She dropped out of college after becoming pregnant. But she found a positive outlet in performing. She modeled in her native San Francisco. She appeared in some local TV game shows. She wrote poetry. After being noticed in the NBC Commissary in Los Angeles, she was asked to appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson to promote a book of poetry she had just written. Watching that night was ABC President, Fred Silverman, who remembered Somers a few years later when trying to find the third lead in a new sitcom called Three’s Company.

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Otto Preminger

Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx) with tags , on August 3, 2026 by Cade

December 05, 1905 – April 23, 1986

Otto Preminger was an Austrian-born film and theatre director who was as know for his successful projects as he was for his hot-tempered demeanor.

Born in what is modern-day Ukraine (formerly of the Austria-Hungarian empire) he was raised in a Jewish family. When World War I broke out and the Russian army invaded his hometown, the Premingers moved to Graz, and then later to Vienna, where young Otto gained an interest in the theatre. He worked his way up to directing and was eventually offered a chance to direct a film…which he reluctantly accepted.

Several German-speaking theatrical and film credits followed and when he was 29, Otto met Jospeh Schenck and Darryl Zanuck, who were looking for talent for their new studio in Hollywood: Twentieth Century Fox.

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Dom DeLuise

Posted in Calvary Cemetery (NY) with tags , , on July 13, 2026 by Cade

August 1, 1933 – May 4, 2009

“I’m actually a thin serious person but I play fat and funny, but only for the movies.” – Dom DeLuise

Actor.
Comedian.
Author.
Musician.
Chef.

In the 1970s and ’80s, you could not look anywhere without encountering the brilliance of Dom DeLuise. Whether he was stealing scenes in classic Mel Brooks’ movies (History of the World Part I, Silent Movie, Spaceballs), buddying up on the open road with real-life pal and frequent co-star, Burt Reynolds (Cannonball Run I & II, Smokey and the Bandit II) or appearing on stage at the Metropolitan Opera, DeLuise was everywhere.

And absolutely no one complained.

Dominick DeLuise was born in Brooklyn and immediately sought a life in show business. After graduating from a performing arts high school and by way of college/regional theater in Massachusetts, he started finding work back in New York. He appeared in a number of Off-Broadway and Broadway shows and eventually made his way onto television. He appeared in a season 2 episode of The Munsters and was featured on The Dean Martin Show, where he became a crowd (and host) favorite. This led to his own, short-lived eponymous variety show…and so much more.

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Victor Herbert

Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx) with tags , , on July 6, 2026 by Cade

February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924

Cellist and composer, Victor Herbert, had a string of successful operettas in early-Broadway era New York. While the operetta artform was exploding at the end of the 19th Century thanks to the success of the British duo, Gilbert and Sullivan, and theatre in New York becoming more and more accessible to the middle class, Herbert churned out hits like The Fortune Teller, Babes in Toyland, The Red Mill and Naughty Marietta. His shows explored more intimate themes and varied styles of popular music, helping bridge the gap between classic opera and what would become known as the “Broadway musical.”

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Cicely Tyson

Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx) with tags , on June 29, 2026 by Cade

December 19, 1924 – January 28, 2021

A legend of the stage and screen, Cicely Tyson was a trailblazing performer whose career spanned more than 70 years. Born and raised in New York City, Tyson wanted to be an actor from an early age. She was brought up in a religious home and her parents were initially reluctant for her to enter the profession…until they saw her perform.

Tyson studied under the renowned acting coach, Lee Strassberg. She got her first part at a YMCA production of Dark of the Moon. In 1961, she appeared in Jean Genet’s The Blacks opposite an array of future stars including Louis Gossett, Jr., Maya Angelou, Roscoe Lee Brown and an actor Tyson would go on to perform with many times over the decades, James Earl Jones. The Blacks ran off-Broadway for a record-setting 1,408 performances.

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Johnny Hodges

Posted in Flushing Cemetery with tags , , on June 22, 2026 by Cade

July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970

When Charlie Parker and John Coltrane – arguably two of the most influential and beloved saxophone players of all time – both point to one man as being the best, it’s probably a good idea not to argue.

Johnny Hodges was born and raised in Boston. He played piano and drums as a kid, but eventually, it was the sax that found its way into his soul. Impressing everyone he played for, Hodges made his way to New York City in his late teens where he met up with one, Mr. Duke Ellington.

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Marvin Hamlisch

Posted in Mt. Zion Cemetery (NY) with tags , , on June 15, 2026 by Cade

June 2, 1944 – August 6, 2012

In the entertainment industry, there is an accomplishment that only a handful of people have been able to attain. The industry loves to reward its members with awards like Emmys (TV), Grammys (Music), Oscars (Movies) and Tonys (Broadway). Only an elite few artists have won all four; collectively known as the “EGOT.”

By the time composer Marvin Hamlisch was 30, he had already won two of the four.

And that was BEFORE he even gave us his most monumental work.

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Lionel Hampton

Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx) with tags , , on June 8, 2026 by Cade

April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002

Lionel Hampton was one of the biggest names in jazz for nearly all of his 75 year career. A percussionist, Hampton started out as a drummer in Chicago while he was still a teenager. He moved to California, where he wowed audiences with his energetic drumming and acrobatic drumstick moves at venues like Sebastian’s Cotton Club. At the age of 22, he was starting to expand his repertoire when a visiting Louis Armstrong overheard him practicing the vibraphone, liked what he heard and offered Hampton a job.

And when Louis Armstrong says you’re a vibraphonist, brother, you’re a vibraphonist.

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