The lives of famous mass today are catalogued to the hilt , with every coffee interruption and bad haircloth instalment document in detail . Even in death , celebgravesitesare visited by droves of adore fans . Most famous people opt for some sorting of marker or headstone , but occasionally one ( or their family ) charge the trend and selects an unmarked patch . Do n’t fuss too much about finding your preferent celeb , though . Although many cemeteries wo n’t disclose information , it ’s easy to find detailed directionsonline .
So what constitute an unnoted grave accent ? The answer is pretty straightforward . " If there ’s no marking , headstone or nameplate and there is someone in thegrave , it qualify as ' unmarked , ' " explains Jolene Mason , universal coach of Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park , a pop resting place for modern and classical celebs , outside Los Angeles .
Historically , fiscal limitations and societal position were factors in whether a individual ( even a illustrious one ) was awarded a big fancy marker . Mass , unmarked graves were also common in times of far-flung disease or warfare ; plus older marking merely deteriorate over time or were stolen [ sources : Texas Historical Commission , Washington Post ] . mod celebrity concerns are more likely related to privacy and a desire to nullify hooliganism . According to Mason , others simply do n’t want a marking , ca n’t decide on wording , or plan to lend one down the line when a loved one passes aside and joins them in the patch .
To get our list of 10 notable people in unmarked graves start , we ’ll look at a major melodic brilliance who may or may not still be 100 percent in his lie smear !
10: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
He only lived a scant 35 long time , but the famed composer continue to enamor in dying more than 250 years later . Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , whose demise in 1791 was probably because of rheumy pyrexia , was buried in an unmarked grave alongside a flock of other masses in St. Marx Cemetery near Vienna . Despite his proportional fame as a composer and performing artist , only the upper echelon of society was bury in marked Robert Ranke Graves at the prison term [ source : Biography ] .
In the 1850s , a monument was build over the blot whereMozartwas think to have been entomb . The memorial was later moved to a space for prestigious musicians in another burial site . Today , visitor can go to St. Marx and see another memorial at the alleged spot , consisting of an saint statue gazing at a kick downstairs pillar with Mozart ’s name engraved on it [ source : Vienna City Administration ] .
9: John Wayne
John Waynewas , is and believably always will be an iconic " man ’s man . " His public character was overabundant with rough - around - the - edges Wild West appeal . So it makes mother wit that he ’d have a no - falderol interment in keep with his image , right ? Except that ’s not why his fellowship select to place the Oscar winner in an unmarked grave . Loved ones simply wished to prevent his final resting space from becoming an over - the - top shrine , as is often the casing with pop culture shape ( Jim Morrison , anyone ? ) They did it as much out of concern for the other permanent residents of Pacific View Memorial Park in Orange County , California , as they did for the humanity ’s most noted cowman [ source : Los Angeles Times ] .
In 1998 , well-nigh 20 geezerhood after he succumb to lung malignant neoplastic disease , an understated bronze plaque was added to the gravesite where he ’s buried . So if you make up one’s mind to amble on down , abide by The Duke by being respectful , OK , pardner ?
Next , get the soap on the bluing sensation whose gravestone was bought and paid for by another singing whizz .
8: Bessie Smith
Some of you may not know who famedbluessinger Bessie Smith was , butJanis Joplinsure did . A prominent vaudeville blues vocalist during the early 1920s , Smith was a born entertainer who recorded with legends like Louis Armstrong and Charlie Green [ source : PBS ] . Her career stalled in orotund part due to her ongoing bout with inebriation , but she seemed on the verge of a major comeback when she was pop in a automobile clash in 1937 .
Smith ’s funeral was attended by thousand of adoring fans . But her grave got no gravestone . " hearsay has it that the reason was her husband did not desire to pass the money , " explains Steve Salter , president ofKiller Blues Headstone Project . Killer Blues Headstone Project " It was n’t because she died penniless . "
Decades later , she ’d earn the love of another famous , but riotous female artist . Janis Joplin , one of the most of import female vocalist of the sixties , found Smith ’s brand of blues to be so inspiring that she commission a key in 1970 for the unmarked grave . deplorably , Joplin died shortly thereafter of aheroin overdose[source : History ] .
7: John Belushi
Fans of the " Saturday Night Live " comedian and movie lead can confab a headstone that bears John Belushi ’s name … but his literal organic structure ? Only a treasured few are probable to make out precisely where it lie .
Remember the indulgence that John Wayne ’s menage seek to avoid by entomb him without a marking ? Belushi , who died of a drug overdose in 1982 , was originally interred in a marked tomb in Martha ’s Vineyard , Mass. Unfortunately , rampant littering and shrine - decorating by adoring , but oh - so - inconsiderate lover left the website in disrepair . So his married woman quietly ordered his remains moved to an undisclosed locating within the same cemetery , some distance from histombstone[source : Time ] .
6: Roy Orbison
Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ? Check . Gravestone ? Not so much . The " Oh , Pretty Woman " warbler die of a meat attack in 1988 , and was quickly interred in go - to famous person burial primer coat , the Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary . A marker identifying the John Rock ' n rove bully ’s final resting office has been a much slower process , largely because the fellowship originally planned to relocate him , but never got around to make the move . Ironically , Roy Orbisonis bury in close law of proximity to megastars like Natalie Wood andMarilyn Monroe , who are both popular stops on the celebrity tomb circuit [ rootage : Goodman ] .
5: Bobby Driscoll
Peter Pan is still known today as " the boy who never grow up , " but the child who voiced one of Disney ’s most popular parts most definitely did , and went on to live a very hard lifespan . One of Hollywood ’s originalchild role player , Bobby Driscoll voice the part of Pan , but was also acclaimed for his theatrical role in classic " Treasure Island " and " The Window , " among others . Once pubescence attain with all its skin - ruining , voice - changing glory , studio dropped him like a hot potato , and he turned rather to drugs and criminal activeness [ source : Des Moines Register ] .
He give out in New York City at age 31 inside an abandoned apartment . The autopsy concluded that years ofdrug abusecaused ruinous center loser . woefully , want of identification storm functionary to place him in an unmarked pauper ’s grave [ source : IMDB ] . His own female parent , essay his whereabouts a year later , constitute out he had die out when police force identify him using fingerprint they had collected before he was buried [ source : Des Moines Register ] .
4: Richard Trevithick
Whether or not you ’re a die - hardtrain partizan , it ’s reasonably hard to dispute Richard Trevithick ’s impact the world . An effected mechanically skillful engineer , Trevithick was comport in Cornwall , England , in 1771 . Among his many notable accomplishments , he ’s belike best known in transportation circles for construct the very firststeam locomotor .
alas , Trevithick ’s engineering skills did not translate to clientele , and he made many foolhardy decisions that cost him financially ( although mess of other people manage to become a profit on his ideas ) . He died almost penniless in 1833 and was subsequently locate in an unmarked grave accent , where he rest today [ seed : Encyclopaedia Britannica ] .
3: Mary Dyer
She may not be famous in the current celebrity sense , but Mary Dyer was a rock mavin in the spiritual exemption world . Her " sin " was converting fromPuritanismto Quakerism , because Quakers believed that mass could hear forthwith from God , without needing an go-between like a man of the cloth . This was a really big deal in the 1600s , as it menace the authority of the church leaders , who governed the dependency , and banned Quakers from living in Massachusetts [ sources : PBS , Robinson ] .
Dyer went into exile in Rhode Island . However , she repay to Boston to support two friends who were imprisoned for their Quaker belief . All three were sentenced to death but reprieve and banished . But Dyer came back again , determine to speak out for spiritual exemption . She was hanged in Boston Common and inhume in an unmarked plot in 1660 . ( Some say her dead body was taken to the family farm ) . Remorse over this unnecessary execution lead to a lessening of anti - Quaker laws and eventually to the Rhode Island Royal Charter of 1663 , legally yield exemption of religion . Today , a statue of Mary Dyer stands in Boston Common , where her life excellently finish [ sources : National Women ’s History Museum , Robinson ] .
2: George C. Scott
His life history was huge , respected and extremist - successful , but in end he ’s relatively understated . George C. Scott seem in many acclaimed pic , including " Dr. Strangelove " and " The Hustler . " He ’s arguably best known for his portrayal of legendary Gen. George S. Patton , although he famously disdain anAcademy Awardthanks to his disdain for the awards process [ source : BBC ] .
After he die in 1999 of a burst abdominal aneurysm , Scott was forget in an overlooked plot in Westwood Memorial , a pit ’s throw from fellow anonymous grave - indweller Roy Orbison and Frank Zappa [ source : Los Angeles Times ] .
1: Fred Gwynne
It ’s not unmortgaged why actor Fred Gwynne is bury in an unmarked plot , but he has occupied such a post at Sandy Mount United Methodist Cemetery in Maryland since his death from pancreatic cancer in 1993 [ informant : Find A Grave ] .
Do n’t eat away if you ’re having trouble lay his name with a face – most of us are more accustomed to his kisser in full Herman Munster makeup ! One of his last persona was that of the often - exasperated judge opposite Joe Pesci in " My Cousin Vinny , " but his consistency of body of work was a collection of critically acclaimed motion picture and much - eff television show , including " Car 54 , Where Are You ? " and " The Munsters . " Gwynne was also a highly regarded painter , carver and children ’s playscript author [ reservoir : IMDB ] .
Lots More Information
Celebs are people too , and merit to have a peaceable final resting lieu . If they decide to make it unmarked , so be it ! That said , the next time I visit Los Angeles I ’ll be armed with a map of marked and unnoted plots . Who can pass up a chance to bear respects to Donna Reed and Marilyn Monroe ? Not this girl !
