Celebrities are a major presence in the Los Angeles community,
and not even Westwood Village Memorial Park can escape the
public’s attraction to the entertainment industry.
Westwood Village Memorial Park is the resting ground of some
celebrities who have died from mysterious and unnatural causes.
Fans and tourists are drawn to the cemetery by their presence.
The cemetery attracts tourists and Los Angeles natives who have
an interest in the entertainment industry and celebrities.
Westwood Village Memorial Park has gained notoriety on the
Internet. Web sites informing their visitors of places to go on
Halloween list the cemetery as a location worthy of attention.
According to E!Online’s Web site, which takes visitors
through “Haunted Hollywood,” the cemetery is notable
because of the unusual deaths of some of its occupants.
Located on Glendon Avenue, the cemetery was opened in Westwood
around the turn of the century. Its location would make it the
resting ground of the stars.
Nobody knows the reason Westwood Village Memorial Park has
become home to so many celebrities, but the fact that it is near
Santa Monica, Bel Air and Malibu may be factors that contribute to
its popularity, said Greg Bolton, spokesman for Service Corporation
International.
Service Corporation International is a provider of funeral,
cremation and cemetery services. The corporation oversees Westwood
Village Memorial Park.
One of the most visited celebrity grave sites belongs to Marilyn
Monroe, Bolton said.
Monroe was buried in the mausoleum crypt after dying from a drug
overdose, and her burial site was so valued that vandals tried to
steal the brass plaque on her crypt in 1976.
Other celebrities buried at the site passed away early in their
lives, many of them violently.
Two of the celebrities buried in the cemetery were leading
characters in the film Poltergeist. Heather O’Rourke, who
played Carol Anne in the movie, died at the age of 12 from a
cardiopulmonary attack.
Her co-star, Dominique Dunne, is also buried in the cemetery.
Dunne passed away after being strangled by her former
boyfriend.
Bob Crane, Colonel Robert Hogan from “Hogan’s
Heroes,” is also buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park.
Crane’s death remains unsolved because his murderer was never
found.
These celebrities are a few among the many buried at the
cemetery who either lived strange lives or died equally strange
deaths.
Due to the high population of celebrities buried within the
cemetery gates, television networks in Japan and Europe have often
requested to film at Westwood Village Memorial Park, but Service
Corporation International has a strict policy against filming at
the site, Bolton said.
Although filming cannot take place at the cemetery, visitors are
allowed into the gates to see the graves of their favorite
celebrities.
“People are always visiting the graves of famous people.
It’s just natural curiosity,” Bolton said.
Though Web sites list the cemetery as a great place to visit on
Halloween, some students say they have their reasons for staying
away from cemeteries on that day in particular.
“The closest me and my friends did was drive past (a
cemetery) on Halloween, and it freaked us out,” said Yanell
Torres, a fourth-year sociology student.
Torres said that although she does not believe she would see
ghosts at the cemetery, she would not go because the cemetery is a
dark and unfamiliar place, which could pose safety issues.
Other students say going to a cemetery for Halloween fun is
disrespectful to those buried at the site.
“Graveyards are a place where people are supposed to rest
eternally,” said Mike Takacs, a fourth-year neuroscience
student.