It has been a rough few weeks for Hollywood. Right on the heels of David Carradine’s June 3rd death came the news of Ed McMahon’s death on June 23rd. Not that it was unexpected, but it was still sad to lose a television legend like that.
They say death travels in threes and I guess everyone thought it was over when Farrah Fawcett succumbed to anal cancer on June 25th. But, we only had a short time to mourn the loss of Farrah before the biggest blow of them all came – Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, died just hours later on the 25th.
Since then, there have been even more celebrity deaths. Actress Gale Storm, perhaps best known for her ‘50s sitcom “My Little Margie,” died on June 27th at the age of 87. Impressionist/comedian Fred Travalena passed away on June 28th at the age of 66. Also dying on the 28th was television pitchman Billy Mays. Mays, who opened his commercials with his now famous line “Hi, Billy Mays here” died of heart disease at the age of 50. On June 30th, actor Harve Presnell, who played the tough as nails, no nonsense dad in Fargo, passed away at the age of 75 due to pancreatic cancer. The last celebrity death that I know of (and they are coming so quickly, it is quite possible I left someone out!) was actor Karl Malden. Malden, who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for A Streetcar Named Desire, died on July 1st at the age of 97.
While all of that was going on, the first set of celebrities were being laid to rest. Ed McMahon was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Parks in Hollywood Hills on June 28th. Among those attending his funeral were Natalie Cole, Joanna Carson (widow of Johnny Carson), and Jimmy Kimmel. Farrah Fawcett was laid to rest on June 30th with friends such as Joan Collins, Alana Stewart, Kate Jackson, and Marla Maples in attendance. Her son, Redmond, was released from jail long enough to attend the funeral as well.
Much like everything else in his life, Michael Jackson’s memorial and funeral seems to be turning into a circus. After rumors of a public viewing at Neverland turned out to be false, it was announced there was going to be a public memorial at the Staples Center tomorrow in Los Angeles. Fans who hoped to attend had to register online and the lucky few (the center holds about 9,000) were chosen by a lottery system. A private ceremony will be held for the family and close friends at Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Although I was kidding about the circus thing, it appears that the circus actually will be there! Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus is going to be having performances later in the week at the Staples Center. Tomorrow, they will be parading the elephants (as they always do) to the Staples Center at 3:30 a.m. With the parade from Union Station expected to take two hours, the elephants could actually intersect with early arriving Jackson fans.
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