Karl Malden at Westwood?

On July 10, Tom Gregory of OVGuide.com speculated that Michael Jackson may have been buried in a pricey garden plot at Westwood Memorial Park.

While you'll find more stars at Westwood than at a red carpet premiere, regular folks are buried there, too. So the space in question could hold the remains of any recently departed soul.

However, if it does belong to a Hollywood celebrity, my guess is that it's one of the biggest stars of stage, screen and television ~ Academy Award-winning actor and all around lovable legend, Karl Malden.

(photo by Frederick M. Brown/Online USA)

Mr. Malden left this realm on July 1, at the age of 97. He joined other notables whose passing was eclipsed in the media by Michael's death on June 25, including Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and pitchman Billy Mays. I could not find any coverage of his funeral in the media anywhere.

Insiders have told me that Mr. Malden was cremated and that his family had recently done business at Westwood, where he had previously made a pre-need property purchase.

Tom notes that the plot had been marked for digging on July 5, dug on July 6 and closed on July 7. That timeline seemed to reasonably match the Malden case, so I decided to inspect it myself. Turns out that the chunk of freshly relaid grass there was too small to have been for a casket burial and more like the size for cremated remains.

Snapped on 7/16/2009

Tom based Jackson's burial speculation largely on the grave's proximity to the rumored future resting place of his good friend, Elizabeth Taylor, near the crypts of her parents in the Sanctuary of Peace.

Using the same logic, the grave is actually closer to (steps away in fact) from a similar garden plot belonging to Eric Douglas. Eric was the son of Kirk Douglas, who shared a 70 year friendship with Mr. Malden, and brother of his friend and "Streets of San Francisco" co-star, Michael Douglas.

Time will tell if this is Mr. Malden's grave as we watch for it to be marked. In the meantime, rest in peace, sir. Thank you for all you have given the world during nearly a century of living. You will be missed.

Comments

[Jami]

For those who may still think this is Michael Jackson's grave, I can definitely assure you that this is not his grave. I came to visit here on July 7 and had noted a handful of mourners leaving the cemetery as a friend and I got out of the car, plus there were some workers with shovels so I knew someone was being buried. I was there around 1pm and MJ's memorial service had ended not long before... if he was buried there, I'm very sure I would've been denied entry to Westwood.