Welcome to Hollywood Graveyard. Today I turn
the camera over to you, the Hollywood Graveyard community, as we travel the world to visit famous
and historical graves in your neck of the woods. In this video we’re exploring Canada, to find
legends like George A. Romero, Gregory Hines, Tim Horton, and many more. My
friends, the time is yours.
Welcome to part 9 of our Viewers Special. We’re
working our way closer to home, landing back in North America after two videos abroad. Today
we’re spending some time with our friendly neighbors to the north, in Canada.
“Welcome, friends to Canada. Canada, friends, loves you.”
This is a special video for me, as I’m part Canadian. I’m also part Italian,
making me a proud Cantalian. Canada has given the world numerous stars, from Celine Dion and
Ryan Reynolds, to the entire cast of SCTV.
“Welcome to our movie, eh.”
So without further ado, let’s pour ourselves a glass of milk from a bag, and in the immortal
words of Five Iron Frenzy: “Let's go to Canada!”
We’ll spend much of our time today in the province
of Ontario. We begin in Toronto, and the Toronto Necropolis, where we find a legend of horror
filmmaking, George A. Romero. If you’re a fan of zombie movies, then you know the name George A.
Romero, considered the father of the modern zombie film. In 1968 he made a little independent
film titled “Night of the Living Dead.” While not the first zombie movie made – in fact
the movie never uses the word “zombie” – Night of the Living Dead established many of the
tropes we’ve come to associate with zombies, being slow-moving, mindless re-animated corpses,
hell bent on consuming the flesh of the living. The film would become one of the most
successful independent films ever made, and spawn a number of sequels in a
popular series of Living Dead movies. Other films include Creepshow and Monkey
Shines, and he also created the TV series, Tales from the Darkside. George A
Romero died from lung cancer at age 77.
Like Romero, our next star had multiple videos
submitted, a testament to how beloved he is here in Canada. This is York Cemetery in Toronto,
where rests Tim Horton. He’s remembered as one of Canada’s great hockey players, playing much of his
24-year NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. With Horton, the Maple Leafs would win 4 Stanley
Cups. In 1964 Tim would open his first Tim Hortons Doughnut Shop in Ontario. Tim Hortons would
grow to become a multi-billion dollar franchise, one of the most familiar names in coffee and
doughnuts in Canada. But Tim Horton’s life and career were cut tragically short in 1974
when he died in a car accident, driving while intoxicated. He was just 44. Tim was posthumously
inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Also here at York we find a Russian Grand
Duchess by the name of Olga Alexandrovna. She was the daughter of Czar Alexander III, and the
sister of the last Czar of Russia, Nicholas II. As the youngest child, she would become the last
Grand Duchess of Russia. Her brother Nicholas, along with his wife and children – which included
Anastasia – were massacred in 1918 by Bolshevik revolutionaries. Olga escaped the Russian
revolution in 1920, moving first to Denmark, then settling here in Canada. Throughout
her life, Olga would find considerable success as a painter. She lived to be 78.
Our next Toronto stop is Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Here rests Frederick Banting. Before 1922,
diagnosis of type I diabetes was a death sentence. But thanks to modern medicine, and innovators like
Frederick Banting, Charles Best, John MacLeod, and James Collip, that is no longer the case, and
those with type I diabetes can live a full life. Frederick Banting was a physician, whose research
in the 1920s led to the discovery of insulin as a therapeutic treatment for diabetes. His efforts
would not only earn him the Nobel Prize in 1923, and knighthood by King George V, but would save
millions of lives in the generations to follow. In 1941 the plane Banting was riding in crashed
in Newfoundland. He survived the impact, but died the next day from his injuries
and exposure. Frederick Banting was 49.
Here too we find Charles Best, another Canadian
medical scientist, and a co-discoverer of insulin, working as Banting’s assistant. Best
was omitted from the 1923 Nobel Prize, an omission the committee later admitted was
a mistake. Though Banting did share half the prize money with Best. Charles Best would go
on to be nominated for the 1950 Nobel Prize for his work with choline and
heparin. Best passed away at age 79.
Our next stop here at Mount Pleasant takes us to
the columbarium, to find the niche of John Rutsey. You Rush fans remember John Rutsey as a founding
member and the original drummer for the band Rush. The band formed in the 70s here in Ontario, and
John played drums on the band’s 1974 debut album. John was instrumental in driving the band’s early
direction, but he left the band shortly thereafter due to health problems. He was replaced by Neil
Peart, who many music historians and fans alike would argue was one of the
greatest drummers of all time. John Rutsey died in his sleep from an
apparent heart attack at age 55.
Moving on now to Park Lawn Cemetery, to
find another beloved Canadian musician. Here lies Jeff Healey. He was a rock, jazz,
and blues guitarist and singer who rose to popularity in the 80s and 90s. His talents
were of particular note because he was blind. He led the Jeff Healey Band, who had
a hit in the song “Angel Eyes.”
Healey also starred alongside Patrick
Swayze, as Cody in Road House. In 2007 Healey underwent surgery to remove
metastatic tissue from his lungs. A year later he died of sarcoma, a form
of cancer, at the age of 41. He would be posthumously be inducted into the Terry Fox
Hall of Fame, and Canada’s Walk of Fame.
This is Roselawn Cemetery. Here we find the grave of Morley Safer.
He was a journalist and CBS correspondent, best-remembered for his long tenure on the
television news program, 60 Minutes. He joined the cast of 60 Minutes in 1970, and would go on
to be the longest-serving reporter on the program, over some 46 years. During that time
60 Minutes would be the most watched, most profitable program on television. Safer
received numerous awards over his career, including 12 Emmys and 3 Peabody Awards, and
was known as a gentleman, a scholar, and a man of integrity. He died at age 84, a week after
announcing his retirement from 60 Minutes.
We leave Toronto now for Erin, Ontario, and Erin
Cemetery, where rests Stompin’ Tom Connors, the king of Canadian folk-country music. Connors wrote
hundreds of songs, selling millions of albums, many of which have become important
parts of the Canadian cultural landscape. Some of his best-known songs are
“Sudbury Saturday Night,” “Bud the Spud,” and “The Hockey Song,” often played at
hockey games, sort of a hockey analogue of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Stompin Tom
Connors died from kidney failure at age 77. In 2004 he ranked #13 on the
list of Greatest Canadians.
This is Avondale Cemetery in Stratford. Here lies
Paddy Crean. In the early days of his career, in the 30s and 40s, Paddy rose to
prominence as a choreographer of fight scenes in movies and on stage, for
the likes of John Gielgud and Errol Flynn. He also performed frequently as Errol Flynn’s
stunt double. His system of stage combat direction and safety protocols would set the
standard for fight direction for years to come. Paddy Crean also acted in films like
War and Peace. He lived to be 92.
Let’s head to section 23A here at Avondale to find
the grave of Richard Manuel. He was a musician, remembered as the vocalist and
keyboard player for a band called, The Band, popular in the 60s and 70s. The Band backed Bob Dylan for a time, and went
on to have success with songs like “The Weight.” In 1986, after playing a show in Florida, Manuel
died by suicide, hanging himself in the hotel bathroom. He was 42. The Band was inducted
into the rock and roll hall of fame in 1994.
We’re in Woodbridge now, and Queen of Heaven
Catholic Cemetery, where rests Tony Rosato. You fans of SCTV recognize that name. Tony was
a comedian who joined the cast of SCTV in 1980. He would then join the cast of Saturday
Night Live in the 1981-82 season. Then in 1985 he landed a regular role as Whitey
on the TV series Night Heat. Later in his career he would be known for his voice work, perhaps
most notably, voicing Luigi in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros 3, and Super Mario World.
Rosato died from a heart attack at age 62.
This lovely churchyard is found at Saint
Peter’s Anglican Church in Erindale. In these grounds rests legendary
jazz pianist, Oscar Peterson. He ranks among the very greats of piano players
in history, called the Maharaja of the keyboard. In a career that spanned some 60 years, he would
release hundreds of recordings, win 8 Grammys, including a lifetime achievement award, and
perform thousands of concerts worldwide. He would also accompany greats from
Ella Fitzgerald to Nat King Cole. The beloved pianist died from
kidney failure at age 82.
Let’s leave the graveyards a moment
and head out to the train tracks. We’re in St. Thomas, Ontario. And this behemoth
of a monument is to the world’s most famous circus elephant, Jumbo. Born in Sudan in 1860, baby
Jumbo was captured after his mother was killed. He landed at the London Zoo before being sold to
showman PT Barnum in 1881, becoming the star of the Barnum and Bailey Circus. In the years that
followed Jumbo would travel across the country, entertaining crowds, and becoming one of the
best-known animal performers in the world. But tragedy struck in 1885. Jumbo
was walking along these train tracks, returning to his train car, when he was
struck and mortally wounded by a locomotive. He died within minutes. After his death, Jumbo’s
skeleton went on display before landing at the American Museum of Natural History, and his hide
was stuffed and displayed at Tufts University. The hide was destroyed in a fire in 1975. In 1985,
this life-sized monument to Jumbo was erected here at St. Thomas, not far from where the
preeminent pachyderm perished a century earlier. Jumbo was one of the inspirations
for Disney’s Dumbo.
Back to the cemeteries, this is St. Volodymyr
Ukranian Cemetery. Let’s head to section 2J, to find the grave of Gregory Hines. He ranks
among the great tap dancers of all time. Many of his acting roles would feature his
dancing skills, like The Cotton Club in 1984. Other memorable film roles include as
Josephus in Mel Brooks’ History of the World, and Ray in Running Scared. In the 90s he had his
own TV sitcom, The Gregory Hines Show, and voiced Big Bill in the animated series, Little Bill.
Among his many accolades are 4 Emmy nominations, and a Tony Award for best actor, in Jelly’s
Last Jam. Gregory Hines died from liver cancer in 2003 at the age of 57.
Resting here with Gregory is his wife, Negrita Jayde. She was a Canadian
bodybuilder, and fitness expert. She wrote a number of books on
women’s fitness, including Supervixen: Secrets for Building a Lean and Sexy Body. She
and Gregory were engaged at the time of his death. Just six years later Negrita fought her own battle
against cancer, passing away at age 51.
This is Padres Shalom Cemetery. We visited
this site in part 4 of this series to pay our respects to Corey Haim. We’re back again
today to find more stars in these grounds, including actor Harvey Atkin. His memorable
film roles include as Morty in 1979’s Meatballs, and on television he played Sgt. Coleman
in Cagney & Lacey, from 1981 to 1988. Harvey is also remembered for his voice work,
having voiced King Koopa in The Super Mario Bros Super Show, and The Adventures of Super Mario
Bros 3. Harvey Atkin died from cancer at age 74.
Also here we find Paul Kligman, another actor
known particularly for voice work in animated productions. He voiced several characters
for Marvel in their various animated series in the 60s, including Red Skull in Captain
America, and J Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man. And in the spirit of the Christmas season in which
we’re releasing this video, Paul also voiced Donner and Comet in the stop motion animated
classic, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
“From now on, gang, we won’t led Rudolph
join in any reindeer games, right?”
Kligman died from heart failure at age 62.
Continuing our exploration of Padres
Shalom, we reach the grave of Al Waxman. Canadian audiences remember him for his starring
role in the CBC series, King of Kensington, which ran from 1975 to 1980. Other series
include Cagney & Lacey, and Twice in a Lifetime. On film he voiced Rudnick in Heavy Metal.
Waxman died during heart surgery at age 65.
Look up… way up. This is
Fairview Cemetery in Grafton, and the grave of Bob Homme. Canadian
children knew him as The Friendly Giant. He created and hosted the children’s
television program, The Friendly Giant, from 1958 to 1985, in close to 3,000 episodes.
Generations of Canadian children grew up with The Friendly Giant, who told stories and sang
songs. Bob Homme died from cancer at age 81.
This quiet, remote cemetery
is Sacred Heart, in Corbeil. Here we find Emilie Dionne. She was one of the
five Dionne Quintuplets, who became world famous in the 1930s for being the first known identical
quintuplets to survive infancy. The quintuplets were born premature to poor farmers in rural
Ontario, and were feared wouldn’t survive. To cover medical costs, shortly after birth they
were taken from their parents and named wards of the Red Cross, and subsequently the government,
which provided for their care, but also exploited them for profit. They became a significant
tourist attraction, and an entire industry was built around them. Their specially-built
farmhouse nursery became almost like a child zoo, with tourists streaming through daily. The
quints were said to have brought in more than $50 million in tourist revenue to Ontario, being
at one time a bigger draw than Niagara Falls, and even starred in ads and 3 Hollywood movies
together. They were reunited with their parents at age 9. In their adulthood the quintuplets sued
the Ontario government for their exploitation and were awarded $4 million in damages.
Emilie dedicated herself to becoming a nun, but suffered from seizures. After one seizure in
which she rolled onto her belly and was unable to lift herself, she accidentally suffocated into
her pillow. Emilie was 20, the first of the quintuplets to pass. As of filming, two of the
Dionne quintuplets are still alive.
We find ourselves now at White Chapel Memorial
Gardens in Hamilton. Our next star went by the name of Frankie Venom. Real name Frankie Kerr,
Frankie Venom is remembered as founding member and lead singer of the Canadian punk band, Teenage
Head, which formed in the early 70s, and rose to national fame in the 80s. Frankie performed
with the band until his death from throat cancer in 2008, at age 52. The epitaph “Picture
My Face” is an allusion to one of their songs.
Our next stop through the graveyards of Canada
takes us to the Farringdon burial ground in Brantford. Here is a name instantly
recognizable to hockey fans: Gretzky. Not Wayne, but his father, Walter. He was known and beloved
across this country as Canada’s Hockey Dad. He was an avid hockey player in his youth, and
while he never made it to the pros himself, he built a rink in his backyard for his
children, and raised and coached them in the game. He was a key figure in
the success of his son Wayne Gretzky, considered by many as the greatest hockey
player of all time. Two of his other sons, Keith and Brent, went on to have NHL careers
as well. Canada’s Hockey Dad lived to be 82.
Here too we find a writer by
the name of Thomas Costain. He was a journalist who became a
best-selling author in his 50s, known for historical novels. Among his best-known
works are The Black Rose, and The Silver Chalice, both of which have been made into movies.
Costain died from a heart attack at age 80.
This is Emily Presbyterian Cemetery
in a town uniquely named Omemee. Here we find another notable Canadian writer,
Scott Young. He was a journalist and novelist, penning some 45 books in his career. He wrote
for publications like the Saturday Evening Post, and Sports Illustrated. Scott also hosted
the sports program, Hockey Night in Canada. Scott Young also has a very famous son,
musician Neil Young. Scott lived to be 87.
Next up is Saint Andrews and Saint James
Cemetery, in Orillia, Ontario. This is where Franklin Carmichael is laid to rest. He was
one of Canada’s notable painters, known as a member of the Group of Seven, which were seven
Canadian landscape painters from 1920 to 1933. He was famous for his use of watercolors and oils
to capture the landscapes of his beloved Ontario. Carmichael died suddenly from a heart
attack in his car at the age of 55.
Greenwood Cemetery in Owen Sound is our next stop. Beneath a waving Canadian flag, we find flying
ace, Billy Bishop. During the first world war, Billy Bishop was credited with 72 victories,
making him the top Canadian and British flying ace of the war. In 1917 he single-handedly attacked a
German aerodrome on the Arras front, destroying 7 airplanes on the ground and shooting an additional
4 airplanes down. This would earn him the Victoria Cross. During the second world war Bishop
was an Air Marshall, instrumental in setting up the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.
Billy Bishop died in his sleep at age 62.
This is Leith United Church Cemetery in Leith.
Here we find another painter, Tom Thomson. He was a landscape painter in the early 20th century,
considered a progenitor of the Group of Seven. Two of his best-known paintings,
The Jack Pine, and The West Wind, have become icons of Canadian culture.
Thomson’s untimely death by drowning at age 39 was seen as a tragic loss for Canadian art.
Our last Ontario stop is at
Union Cemetery in Oshawa. This is the tomb of Samuel McLaughlin. He was an
automotive pioneer, founding the McLaughlin Motor Company in 1907, the first car manufacturer
here in Canada. It would eventually evolve into General Motors Canada. McLaughlin was also
involved in philanthropy throughout his life, donating hundreds of millions of dollars
to the arts and sciences. His estate in Ontario has also been the filming location
for dozens of film and television productions, from Billy Madison to Hollywoodland. Colonel
Robert Samuel McLaughlin lived to be 100.
Leaving Ontario, let’s briefly head west
to Queen’s Park Cemetery in Calgary, Alberta. In these grounds we find the grave of
legendary wrestler, Owen Hart, part of the Hart dynasty of wrestlers. His career wrestling began
here in Calgary, before rising to prominence in the World Wrestling Federation. Regarded as
one of the best in-ring performers of his era, his accomplishments include being a one-time USWA
Unified World Heavyweight Champion, a two-time WWF Intercontinental Champion, a one-time WWF
European Champion, and a four-time WWF World Tag Team Champion, as well as the 1994 WWF King of the
Ring. But tragedy would enter the ring in 1999. Owen was making a descent into the ring from the
rafters above as The Blue Blazer, during the live Over the Edge pay-per-view event. Shortly after
beginning his descent, his safety cable snapped, and Owen fell over 70 feet into the ring. He
was taken to the hospital, but died a short time later from his injuries. He was just 34.
In a controversial move, audience members in the arena who had witnessed the fall, were not told
of Hart’s fate, and the event continued.
Heading back east we say bonjour to Quebec.
“There’s no Canada like French Canada.”
This is Cemetiere de Saint-Jean-de-Matha. Here we find Louis Cyr, a pioneer of
Canada’s strongman legacy. In strongman lore, he’s often called “The Strongest Man Who Ever
Lived.” And while modern giants like Žydrūnas Savickas also vie for this title, there’s no
disputing the incomparable strength of Louis Cyr. In the late 1800s, long before organized strongman
competitions, Louis Cyr was hoisting wagons, lifting globe dumbbells, platforms of people, and
out-pulling horses. Some of his memorable feats of strength include lifting over 500 lbs with one
finger, pushing a freight car up an incline, lifting over 4000 lbs on his back, and
restraining the pull of four draft horses. Louis Cyr died in 1912 from nephritis at age 49.
Modern day strongman implements are named for Cyr, including the Cyr dumbbell. And in 2013
a film was made about his life.
The easternmost region of Canada is the island of
Newfoundland. We’re in the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, St John’s. Here rests a man
known as the father of the confederation, Joseph Smallwood. In 1949, the Dominion of
Newfoundland held a referendum on wither it should remain an independent dominion, or join Canada.
Joey was the main driving force in this effort, campaigning for The Dominion of Newfoundland
to join Canada. After a tight race, Newfoundland became a Canadian Province and
Joey Smallwood was elected as the first Premier, which he served until 1972. Smallwood
died a week before his 91st birthday.
Our next stop is Bannerman Park in St John’s.
Here in we find a monument to Shanawdithit. She was the last known living member of the Beothuk
people, who were the indigenous people that inhabited Newfoundland. They were a peaceful,
non-confrontational people, and when European settlers arrived, rather than confronting them,
they were driven inland, away from their native lands, which deprived them of their natural food
sources. Their new ecosystem and lifestyle was unable to support them, causing undernourishment
and eventually starvation. This, combined with the introduction of disease like tuberculosis,
led to the extinction of the Beothuk. Shanawdithit is remembered for her efforts
to document and share cultural and historical understanding of the Beothuk, as her people were
on the brink of extinction. Shanawdithit died from tuberculosis at age 28. She was buried in
a church graveyard here in St. John’s that has since been lost to railway construction, so
this plaque was placed here in her memory.
Our next stop is not a grave, but another
monument. This one to a great Canadian athlete and humanitarian by the name of Terry Fox. At
the age of 19 he lost his right leg to cancer. Shortly thereafter Fox began training as a
marathoner, and devised a run across Canada to raise funds for cancer research. It was dubbed
the Marathon of Hope. That run began here in St John’s, mile 0, on April 12, 1980. He averaged
around 20 miles a day, all with a prosthetic leg. He became an inspiration and national hero in
the process. But Terry was forced to stop in September in Thunder Bay Ontario when his
cancer returned. That month he’d become the youngest person honored to the Order of
Canada. He raised millions of dollars for cancer research before his death at the age of 22.
He’s laid to rest back in British Columba.
We end our adventure through the great white north
in Nova Scotia. Not a lot of white, i.e. snow, in this tour today because all this footage
was actually shot in the summer. This is Gate of Heaven Cemetery, where we find the grave of
legendary musician, Denny Doherty. He was a singer and songwriter, remembered as a founding member
of the 60s musical group, The Mamas and the Papas, with John Phillips, Michelle Phillips, and Cass
Elliot. They had hits in songs like “Monday, Monday,” and “California Dreamin’.” The group was
inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. After the group disbanded in 1968, Denny
embarked on a solo career, and also dabbled in acting. He’s remembered by children of the 90s
as the cheerful harbor master and narrator of the kid’s series, “Theodore Tugboat.” Denny died
from kidney failure at the age of 66.
And that concludes our tour. What are some of your
favorite memories of the stars we visited today? Share them in the comments below, and
be sure to like, share, and subscribe for more famous grave tours. Thanks for
watching, we’ll see you on the next one.
