Adventures in Grave Hunting by Lisa Burks

David Carradine at FLHH

Fellow grave hunter Karen Fogerty & I took a Halloween Day grasshop over to Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills to pay respect to David Carradine.

David Carradine (Courtesy ScrapeTV.com News)

His grave remains unmarked but two flower vases have been installed.  Someone had left him two small potted flowers which were drying out, so I watered them. When we tried to overturn the vases to place the flowers, one was stuck. Karen recruited a kindly strong-armed man who was leaving flowers with two other ladies at a grave nearby. They said they have had the same issue with their loved one's vases.  He was able to heft it out for us, yay!

David's exact location is on Lincoln Terrace, Lot 5144, Space 1.  Lincoln Terrace is on the west side of the Hall of Liberty, where his funeral took place, across Memorial Drive. Walking up the steps toward the Lincoln Statue and Mosaic, go to the third terrace and turn right. He's between a tree and a marked grave, facing the front of the cemetery and statuary along the wall.

You may remember seeing coverage of David's funeral which was held on Saturday, June 13, 2009.  What you didn't see in any of the footage, including his prepared grave shot at a distance by a renegade camera crew who broke ranks from the east side of the hall, was his casket. According to insiders who attended the funeral, David's family was heart-achingly adamant about it not being photographed or filmed.

Kudos to the FLHH staff who took extreme measures to make sure their desire was fulfilled.  I'm told that David was buried under the cover of darkness, except for some lights needed for the grounds crew to do their work. Apparently that wasn't intentional, as the service ran longer than expected, however it did aid in getting the job done in privacy.  Security placed around the grounds were on guard, and spotted and summarily booted a couple of tabloid photographers who were caught hiding (not so well, apparently) in the hills above the cemetery.

Día de Los Muertos 2009

My friend Fifi and I had a terrific time at the 10th Annual Los Angeles Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) festival held yesterday at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

The Day of the Dead (El Dia de los Muertos or All Souls' Day) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 1st and 2nd in connection with the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day which occurs on November 1st and All Souls' Day which occurs on November 2nd. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. ~ Wikipedia

This is a decidedly joyous celebration that centers around the belief that the souls of all loved ones return from their netherworld destinations (Heaven, Hell or Purgatory) to this world in order to rejoice together with living. There is no crying on Day of the Dead. Per elders, "the path back to the living world must not be made slippery by tears."

For more information, please visit MexConnect for a wonderfully insightful series of articles.

Here a few photos I snapped to give you an idea of the beauty we saw. Loving, detailed altars, gorgeous artwork, the main stage that was filled with music and dancing, people in costumes, etc. Truly an event not to be missed by anyone who is interested in cemeteries and death culture in general.

Main stage on the Fairbanks Lawn

Administration Building lit up and surrounded by celebrants

The Cathedral Mausoleum was transformed into an art gallery


One of the many beautiful, heartfelt altars honoring a dearly departed loved one

Participants wearing traditional costumes


The Clark Mausoleum aglow in the spirit of the day

See all my photos of the day archived on Flickr.

Michael Jackson's Location Confirmed As Fans Show Their Love With Flowers, Gifts

It's been a busy autumn so I haven't had a chance to go grave hunting lately. However....

Happily, reader Erin Jacobs visited Forest Lawn Glendale this weekend and reports that my theory about Michael Jackson being entombed in the Ascension Windows sarcophagus on the Holly Terrace is correct!

Erin & her MJ-sidekick Kathy delivering flowers to Holly Terrace
(All images courtesy of Erin Jacobs)

From Erin ~

"Just wanted to tell you that your grave hunting hunches were spot on. You can now change your web site to say; this is where Michael Jackson is laid to rest. The small room at the end of the hallway is covered with flowers and balloons. We brought a huge arrangement of flowers and the guards walked them back for us why we watched through the window. We even took video. No problems with that, the guards were very friendly and they didn't try to make us erase the film. Again, thank you!" 

Thank YOU, Erin!

Stay tuned for a link to Erin's video when it's finalized online.

Memorial gifts left at Holly Terrace for MJ

Forest Lawn Security delivering flowers to MJ's sarcophagus

Photo taken through the window of the Holly Terrace door

Holly Terrace stone platform entrance, east side of the Great Mausoleum

Ascension Windows as seen from outside the Great Mausoleum, west side

See all of Erin's photos from her visit to Forest Lawn here.

Thank you, Erin, for sharing your experience and photos!