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Where Are They Buried? (Revised and Updated): How Did They Die? Fitting Ends and Final Resting Places of the Famous, Infamous, and Noteworthy
The bestselling guide to the lives, deaths, and final resting places of our most enduring cultural icons, now revised and completely updated for 2019.
Where Are They Buried? has directed legions of fervent fans and multitudes of the morbidly curious to the graves, monuments, memorials, and tombstones of the nearly 500 celebrities and antiheroes included in the book.
The most complete and well-organized guide on the subject by far, every entry features an entertaining capsule biography full of little-known facts, a detailed description of the death, and step-by-step directions to the grave, including not only the name of the cemetery but the exact location of the gravesite and how to reach it. The book also provides a handy index of grave locations organized by state, province, and country to make planning a grave-hopping road trip easy and efficient.
Where Are They Buried? has directed legions of fervent fans and multitudes of the morbidly curious to the graves, monuments, memorials, and tombstones of the nearly 500 celebrities and antiheroes included in the book.
The most complete and well-organized guide on the subject by far, every entry features an entertaining capsule biography full of little-known facts, a detailed description of the death, and step-by-step directions to the grave, including not only the name of the cemetery but the exact location of the gravesite and how to reach it. The book also provides a handy index of grave locations organized by state, province, and country to make planning a grave-hopping road trip easy and efficient.
576 pages, Paperback
First published May 6, 2003
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784 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
April 5, 2018
Any collection of famous people's grave sites is going to be idiosyncratic. Ask 10 people whose graves they would like to visit and you will get 100 different answers. That said, this is the most comprehensive guide to the graves of the famous that you will find outside of Find-a-grave.
Mostly that is because -- without photographs of the grave monuments in question -- this book can include a whole lot of people whose ashes have been scattered. It seems a shame not to be able to leave a kitchen knife at the grave of Alfred Hitchcock, but perhaps that's for the best. I would have loved to leave a rose at the grave of John Lennon, but the mosaic in the middle of Strawberry Fields in Central Park will have to do.
Included in the book is the grave of Fred Gwynne, best known at Herman Munster on TV. Gwynne is buried in an unmarked grave. Despite the directions to an unmarked plot where the author claims Gwynne is buried, the cemetery itself discourages visitors. It makes me sad that someone who gave such joy to strangers is consigned to the ground without a monument -- and those who might wish to leave thanks at his grave are turned away.
Be that as it may, this is an entertaining and comprehensive encyclopedia. I've gotten hours of fun from it.
Mostly that is because -- without photographs of the grave monuments in question -- this book can include a whole lot of people whose ashes have been scattered. It seems a shame not to be able to leave a kitchen knife at the grave of Alfred Hitchcock, but perhaps that's for the best. I would have loved to leave a rose at the grave of John Lennon, but the mosaic in the middle of Strawberry Fields in Central Park will have to do.
Included in the book is the grave of Fred Gwynne, best known at Herman Munster on TV. Gwynne is buried in an unmarked grave. Despite the directions to an unmarked plot where the author claims Gwynne is buried, the cemetery itself discourages visitors. It makes me sad that someone who gave such joy to strangers is consigned to the ground without a monument -- and those who might wish to leave thanks at his grave are turned away.
Be that as it may, this is an entertaining and comprehensive encyclopedia. I've gotten hours of fun from it.
February 12, 2008
I could not put this book down! As morbid as it sounded at first, I found myself buried in it, no pun intended, and was fascinated to read about various celebrities and other notorious folks and where they are buried. The author included a a few from most every genre of entertainment and a few that I've never heard of, too. This was a book I read over again and passed along to friends to read, too. Just a fun read overall!
December 27, 2014
A book to satisfy my morbid curiosities! I've always loved reading short biographies of famous people; in this volume, I enjoy the succinct biographies of some of the greats. This book makes for a fun read-aloud or coffee table book.
December 26, 2023
Absolutely fascinating.
January 27, 2015
Read several out loud at the dining room table for meal time conversation. I think I enjoyed it the most and after about a few days of reading, the family got bored. My youngest kid asked me to read about Amy Winehouse and Tupac's deaths; but alack, they were not to be found.
December 26, 2017
Mildly interesting tidbits, but somewhat inconsistent informing of final places, locations, and means. This was not so much "written" as reported, and in those moments that possibly were, Benoit was judgemental and almost cruel (see Anna Nicole Smith).
March 5, 2015
Kind of morbidly awesome.
February 28, 2023
A very informative book if you are interested in where celebrities are buried and circumstances surrounding their deaths.
Read
June 1, 2021 Reading just those I am interested in, but it is a very good book and well written.
July 15, 2012
The Famous Deceased
I just finished reading Where Are They Buried: How Did They Die? Fitting Ends and Final Resting Places of etc. by Tod Benoit. The enormously-long title perfectly describes this entertaining nonfiction book. Some may think the book is a bit morbid, but I found it endlessly fascinating. Maybe that's because my mother was a genealogist who taught me that cemeteries were pretty interesting places.
You see, I grew up in Louisiana where above-ground tombs were rather commonplace. It's the high water table that makes in-ground burial not an option in a lot of towns. So as a child, I tromped through cemeteries while my mother wrote down dates and read epitaphs aloud. I learned to appreciate tomb art and architecture which, for wealthier "residents" had been commissioned from the most important architects and artists of the particular generation.
Yet, the poorest "residents" have grave ornamentation that touches the heart. I remember marbles embedded in a century-old plain square of what looked like baked clay tile that marked the grave of a child.
It may sound macabre, but I've visited cemeteries in lots of cities and small towns -- and in countries to which I've traveled. Because of my early exposure to the history inherent in the cemeteries where my ancestors are housed, I never considered a burial ground as spooky or creepy or even depressing. In fact, there's a certain peaceful quietude to be found in a cemetery.
When I saw this book, I knew I had to read it if only to satisfy my curiosity about whether Jim Morrison was really in his grave in Paris. Benoit gives the myth of Morrison according to conspiracy theorists. Whether or not he's in the grave in Paris in the Pere-Lachaise Cemetery is up for debate. Regardless, the grave draws a million visitors a year, and, I understand, most Parisians consider it bothersome. (I'd have gone if I'd had time when I was in Paris.)
From Aaliyah to Warren Zevon, from Buddy Holly to Kurt Cobain, from rappers to Elvis, from Lombardi and Tom Landry to Walter Payton, Lou Gehrig, and Shoeless Joe Jackson, from Heath Ledger to Marilyn Monroe, from Truman Capote to Norman Mailer, this book covers all who were significant in their respective fields of endeavor.
The book gives a short entertaining biography of the person's life, tells how they died, sometimes gives the epitaph, and tells where they're buried, with directions on how to get to the grave site. Although the names in each category aren't listed under the chapter headings, there is a clickable Index in alphabetical order.
Loved the book!
Like the epitaph on the tomb of Mel Blanc, the man of 1,000 voices, says: "That's all, Folks!"
I just finished reading Where Are They Buried: How Did They Die? Fitting Ends and Final Resting Places of etc. by Tod Benoit. The enormously-long title perfectly describes this entertaining nonfiction book. Some may think the book is a bit morbid, but I found it endlessly fascinating. Maybe that's because my mother was a genealogist who taught me that cemeteries were pretty interesting places.
You see, I grew up in Louisiana where above-ground tombs were rather commonplace. It's the high water table that makes in-ground burial not an option in a lot of towns. So as a child, I tromped through cemeteries while my mother wrote down dates and read epitaphs aloud. I learned to appreciate tomb art and architecture which, for wealthier "residents" had been commissioned from the most important architects and artists of the particular generation.
Yet, the poorest "residents" have grave ornamentation that touches the heart. I remember marbles embedded in a century-old plain square of what looked like baked clay tile that marked the grave of a child.
It may sound macabre, but I've visited cemeteries in lots of cities and small towns -- and in countries to which I've traveled. Because of my early exposure to the history inherent in the cemeteries where my ancestors are housed, I never considered a burial ground as spooky or creepy or even depressing. In fact, there's a certain peaceful quietude to be found in a cemetery.
When I saw this book, I knew I had to read it if only to satisfy my curiosity about whether Jim Morrison was really in his grave in Paris. Benoit gives the myth of Morrison according to conspiracy theorists. Whether or not he's in the grave in Paris in the Pere-Lachaise Cemetery is up for debate. Regardless, the grave draws a million visitors a year, and, I understand, most Parisians consider it bothersome. (I'd have gone if I'd had time when I was in Paris.)
From Aaliyah to Warren Zevon, from Buddy Holly to Kurt Cobain, from rappers to Elvis, from Lombardi and Tom Landry to Walter Payton, Lou Gehrig, and Shoeless Joe Jackson, from Heath Ledger to Marilyn Monroe, from Truman Capote to Norman Mailer, this book covers all who were significant in their respective fields of endeavor.
The book gives a short entertaining biography of the person's life, tells how they died, sometimes gives the epitaph, and tells where they're buried, with directions on how to get to the grave site. Although the names in each category aren't listed under the chapter headings, there is a clickable Index in alphabetical order.
Loved the book!
Like the epitaph on the tomb of Mel Blanc, the man of 1,000 voices, says: "That's all, Folks!"
July 28, 2016
When I went to France last summer, we visited the town that Vincent Van Gogh died in. There are monuments to him there all over the place: a statue in the park, little gold circles with his name on it, and even the hotel where he died has a huge sign in front of it. Apparently for years that room wasn't rented out, not because Van Gogh died there but because a suicide had occurred there. We even visited a Van Gogh museum (if you can call a museum that features no artwork by Van Gogh and a weird Greenfield Village but lamer and completely in French that). I thought I had seen everything to see involving Van Gogh until we got back on the bus and parked down the street. My French teacher then led us on a forty minute walk to a dusty little cemetery that happens to be the last resting place of Vincent Van Gogh and his brother Theo. As I stood by these two simple graves in the sweltering heat, I couldn't help but wonder why we had made the trek to see this. Why was it important to see the grave of a dead artist rather than his artwork?
I thought about Vincent Van Gogh and his simple headstone when I bought Where Are They Buried? at a Cracker Barrel. A book as weird as this one is just irresistible to a history geek to me. It's definitely a novelty book, but it is a fun one. I can only imagine the adventures Tod Benoit had trying to put this book together. In fact, I'd read a book about it. Nonetheless, his dedication to this project is admirable if not a little crazy. Where Are They Buried? is well organized, divided into sections for different areas of interest. It is a book you could easily skim to look for your favorites, but that's just not how I roll (so to speak). It is a little long at about 600 pages, but it is well-researched and inclusive. I definitely learned a few things, and Benoit's dry humor spiced up the pretty mudane bios. I don't know if I would visit every single grave in this book, but a few of them have now made it on my list.
Recommended to the history nuts. You know who you are.
I thought about Vincent Van Gogh and his simple headstone when I bought Where Are They Buried? at a Cracker Barrel. A book as weird as this one is just irresistible to a history geek to me. It's definitely a novelty book, but it is a fun one. I can only imagine the adventures Tod Benoit had trying to put this book together. In fact, I'd read a book about it. Nonetheless, his dedication to this project is admirable if not a little crazy. Where Are They Buried? is well organized, divided into sections for different areas of interest. It is a book you could easily skim to look for your favorites, but that's just not how I roll (so to speak). It is a little long at about 600 pages, but it is well-researched and inclusive. I definitely learned a few things, and Benoit's dry humor spiced up the pretty mudane bios. I don't know if I would visit every single grave in this book, but a few of them have now made it on my list.
Recommended to the history nuts. You know who you are.
February 23, 2021
PUBLISHED IN 2003 COPY. (I guess there's a 2019 copy) The author researched deaths, found graveside locations, & then added his own 2 cents about famous peoples deaths. It was kind of like reading an entertainment magazine. Some good info on the famous deceased and backstory on feuding, etc. I didn't care for the authors opinion & speculation he added into a lot of the research. He wasn't around in 1867-1959 so adding his own gossip about the deceased was a turn off. The end of the book has a chapter entitled "How To Find Where Someone is Buried" which basically gives you instruction on how to lie to funeral or cemetery personnel so they'll give out famous people's plot numbers. For example, inquiring about your dear great aunt Mrs. Grace Allen (George Burn's wife) to find out where George is buried since their plots are next to each other or asking where Leonard Oswold who died in the 60's plot is & the clerk saying they have a Lee Oswold (bingo, now you know where the assassin is buried) A little underhanded & lurid.
January 22, 2016
This book is a prime example of what I refer to as "call of nature reading". It took me quite some time to read it, as the only time I read it was when I was answering that "call". For such a purpose the text is perfectly laid out, organized by individual bio, and then followed by details about that individual's demise and burial status. This book is that simple. There really is nothing else to say about it.
I was very irritated by numerous errors found in this text. Too many errors for me to be have faith in the book's research and validity. That is a result of lazy writing and editing. Thus the 2 stars rating.
Still, it is a nice journey through Americana... and I read it on the toilet...so no harm, no foul!
I was very irritated by numerous errors found in this text. Too many errors for me to be have faith in the book's research and validity. That is a result of lazy writing and editing. Thus the 2 stars rating.
Still, it is a nice journey through Americana... and I read it on the toilet...so no harm, no foul!
March 18, 2013
I love Hollywood lore, like some people absorb sports facts. So, I enjoyed the book. It was also unbalanced; some celebs had lengthy details about their deaths and burial whereabouts. Others were only briefly mentioned, almost like there were 2 different writers. I liked Benoit's style of writing (some humor thrown in) and would read another book of his.
December 19, 2007
If you are interested in how famous people have died, this is the book for you. This book is divided into categories and provides a synopsis of how each person died and where they are buried. It made me want to read more about the people, including Howard Hughes.
November 18, 2010
I am reading this book to my students for "Read Aloud" Mondays. This book is fantastic! The morbid side of me wants to know about the deaths of these famous people. I have read the kids the stories of Bruce and Brandon Lee, Phil Hartman, Jim Henson, and William Shakespeare.
May 21, 2011
I am loving this book! Currently reading it, but its really good. I am morbid and like knowing how people died, where they died and things like that. This is a fun read for me, but it would also be ideal for someone doing a project on the deaths of famous people on today and yesterday...
December 21, 2015
I have alot going on right now so i wanted to read something that didn't take a whole lot of effort or too much time and this was the book there isn't much to say about this book it was pretty decent i however felt like there could have been something more
March 2, 2011
After you get over the fact that it's kinda morbid and a a fact of life, this book was interesting. Consider it mini-bios of famous people from all walks of life.
April 1, 2014
Michele found this for me for super sale on Kindle....my next iPhone read.
Now THIS was a long purse read! Finally finished. Somewhat interesting, but a lot of filler.
Now THIS was a long purse read! Finally finished. Somewhat interesting, but a lot of filler.
December 26, 2022
An amusing read it as I think somebody noted good for the short periods you may be spending with the book in your home. I suppose the factors that held me back from giving more stars are the authors periodic commentary about some of his deceased subjects. For example when talking about Lee Harvey Oswald he says clearly the forensic evidence could not support Oswald as the single gunman. To have the author interject their own opinions detract from the flow of the book and is an annoying distraction. When talking about Bella Lugosi he throws in the comment that a wooden stake or silver bullet wasn’t necessary after all. Some of the comments are sometimes entertaining but mostly they fall flat.
May 27, 2019
This was a fascinating book. More than just a directory to famous resting places, it was a little biography of each person with interesting information. I discovered many things of which I was not aware about several of the people listed. It was like a little history lesson, brought back a lot of memories of events I do remember. With 600+ pages, I read it in 3 days because it was hard to put down. Really appreciated the format of dividing it into categories & grouping related deaths together.
June 8, 2020
If you love random trivia about dead people then this is the book for you! This anthology explores the lives of more than 700 "famous, infamous, and noteworthy." Each entry has a little bit of information about the person, but also the details surrounding their deaths. Then - if applicable - there are directions to find different people's grave sites. Personally, I loved the random facts about each person. In many instances, Benoit debunks theories that have been rampant in popular culture. However, you won't find be tracking down these cemeteries any time soon!
October 15, 2022
While I only read the profiles of the people I'm interested in, this book has great succinct mini biographies of each person and then tells you directions to the cemetery and guides you to find their grave once there. This would be a fantastic book to make notes from before a trip to L.A so you can see all your favourite stars gravesites.
I picked it up because out of the nearly 500 people included,a very large percent are stars and personalities from the Golden Age, so if you love classic movies,this is a great resource!
I picked it up because out of the nearly 500 people included,a very large percent are stars and personalities from the Golden Age, so if you love classic movies,this is a great resource!
January 9, 2020
As I read this book, I was initially hugely interested because of Benoit’s dry humor and the pursuit of trivial knowledge. However, as I got deeper into it, I couldn’t shake the condescending tone taken toward a certain type of fatality; Over and over we were let in on how the author felt about about people who have died of overdose, or even participated in recreational drug use in life. If one is reporting on facts and locations, keep opinions out of it.
April 7, 2025
If you'd like to become more adept at "seeing dead people" than either Hailey Joel Ozment or Bruce Willis, then this is the book for you.
November 14, 2018
It may not be everybody's cup of meat, but I really enjoyed "Where are They Buried? How Did They Die?" Favorite and well-known people from several walks of life appear in these pages, with details about their life and death, and precise directions to locate their graves. Good stuff, if slightly macabre, and very entertaining.
June 21, 2019
The version I read is updated through this year but I noticed there was some incorrect information such as birth or death dates incorrect or names of cemeteries were incorrect. Otherwise, it's an interesting read and some of the information could be fun ice-breakers at parties...if you have friends with the same unique interests.
July 30, 2017
I found this book interesting because of all the information it had. So many names that I could recognize and remember. I many not have remembered how they died at the time but this book filled you in. It was interesting to see where these people where buried or what happened with their ashes.
September 14, 2020
Such a fascinating read! Great for everyone with morbid curiosities. I read it on and off for a couple of years, a few entries at a time because sometimes one isn’t in the mood to read about death but I always came back to it and I’m glad I finished.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews