Deathiversary: River Phoenix (October 31, 1993)

𝟸𝟻 πš’πšŽπšŠπš›πšœ 𝚊𝚐𝚘 πšπš˜πš—πš’πšπš‘πš, πšπš’πšŸπšŽπš› π™Ώπš‘πš˜πšŽπš—πš’πš‘ πš’πšœ πšŒπšŠπš›πš›πš’πšŽπš 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 πšπš‘πšŽ πšπšŠπš›πš”πšŽπš—πšŽπš πš›πšŽπšŒπšŽπšœπšœπšŽπšœ 𝚘𝚏 πšπš‘πšŽ πš…πš’πš™πšŽπš› πšπš˜πš˜πš– πš—πš’πšπš‘πšπšŒπš•πšžπš‹ πš’πš— πšπš‘πšŽ πšŽπšŠπš›πš•πš’ πš‘πš˜πšžπš›πšœ 𝚘𝚏 π™·πšŠπš•πš•πš˜πš πšŽπšŽπš—. π™·πšŽ πšπš’πšŽπšœ πš˜πš— πšπš‘πšŽ πšœπš’πšπšŽπš πšŠπš•πš” πš πš‘πšŽπš›πšŽ πš‘πšŽ πšŒπš˜πš•πš•πšŠπš™πšœπšŽπšœ, 𝚊 πšŸπš’πšŒπšπš’πš– 𝚘𝚏 πš–πšŽπšπšŠπš‹πš˜πš•πš’πš£πšŽπš πš‘πšŽπš›πš˜πš’πš—, πšŒπš˜πšŒπšŠπš’πš—πšŽ πšŠπš—πš π™·πš˜πš•πš•πš’πš πš˜πš˜πš 𝚎𝚑𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜. π™·πšŽ πš’πšœ 𝟸𝟹. (πš†πšŠπšœπš‘πš’πš—πšπšπš˜πš— π™Ώπš˜πšœπš) 

Pick up a copy of the zine Dead in Hollywood: River Phoenix (Issue 4)!

25 years ago...

β€œI don't want to die in a car accident. When I die it’ll be a glorious day. It’ll probably be a waterfall.” -River Phoenix

Halloween marks the 25th anniversary of River Phoenix’s death. At the age of 23, he od’s on the sidewalk outside of the Viper Room on the Sunset Strip.

"He’s having seizures! Get over here please, please, 'cause he's dying, please." -Joaquin Phoenix’s 911 call

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Deathiversary: Hattie McDaniel (October 26, 1952)

Hattie McDaniel is born to former slaves in 1893. She becomes the first African American to win the Academy Award for her performance in the 1939 film, "Gone with the Wind.” When McDaniel takes the stage at the 12th Academy Awards in 1940, she is the only black woman in the room. The ceremony that year is held at the segregated Ambassador Hotel where Robert Kennedy is assassinated decades later. She appears in 300 films but is only credited in about 80 of them. As historic as McDaniel's win is… it will take nearly a quarter century before Oscar crowns another black actor - Sidney Poitier wins in 1963’s β€œLilies of the Field.” McDaniel dies of breast cancer at age 57 on October 26, 1952. In her will, McDaniel writes: "I desire a white casket and a white shroud; white gardenias in my hair and in my hands, together with a white gardenia blanket and a pillow of red roses. I also wish to be buried in the Hollywood Cemetery.” Hollywood Cemetery, now named Hollywood Forever Cemetery, is the resting place of movie stars like Douglas Fairbanks and Rudolph Valentino. Its owner at the time, Jules Roth, refuses to allow McDaniel to be buried there, because, at the time of her death, the cemetery is segregation and will not accept the remains of black people for burial. Her second choice is Rosedale Cemetery (now known as Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery), where she lies today. 

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The American Teenager: Natalie Wood

β€œRebel Without a Cause” defined both popular and youth culture upon its release in 1955, giving voice to the American teenager of the 1950’s. Even though Wood has starred in 20 films before turning 16, she is desperate to transition to adult roles. She sees the part of Judy as her ticket into adulthood. Complicating matters is that every actress from Debbie Reynolds to Jayne Mansfield is being considered for the role. Wood's mother pushes her into "dating" the 44-year-old "Rebel" director, Nicholas Ray - her mother waits in the car during Wood and Ray's romps at the Chateau Marmont. Sleeping with the director doesn't even work! It's not until a drunken car crash on Laurel Canyon with Dennis Hopper that Ray to cast considers Wood for the role. Ray visits Wood at the hospital, where the doctor calls Wood a "goddamn juvenile delinquent." Wood yells: "Did you hear what he called me, Nick? He called me a goddamn juvenile delinquent! Now do I get the part?" Wood deserves the credit for transforming Ray’s vision of Wood’s character Judy from a trashy teen to a confused, hurt kid like Wood herself.

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Deathiversary: The Gene Krupa Story

Gene Krupa is a famous jazz drummer, bandleader, actor, and composer. Krupa is known for his energetic style and showmanship. His drum solo on "Sing, Sing, Sing" elevated the role of the drummer as a frequently used solo voice in the band. He is also known for defining the standard drum kit used today. Sal Mineo stars as Krupa in the 1959 biopic "The Gene Krupa Story." Krupa himself plays the drums on the soundtrack for the film, and for the sequences in which Mineo, as Gene, plays the drums. In 1943, Krupa is arrested for possession of two marijuana cigarettes. He is charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and is given a 90-day jail. He serves 84 days of the sentence. In the early 1970s, Krupa's house in Yonkers, New York, is damaged by fire, but he continues to live in the parts of the house that were habitable. On October 16, 1973, Krupa dies in Yonkers at the age 64 from heart failure, though he also had leukemia and emphysema. In 1978, Krupa becomes the first drummer inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame. Sal Mineo dies in 1976 when he is stabbed to death in the alley behind his apartment building near the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, CA. Mineo is stabbed just once, but the knife blade strikes his heart, leading to immediate and fatal internal bleeding. Before the New Beverly closed for remodeling, my husband and I got a chance to watch "The Gene Krupa Story" on the big screen. It was less than a week after I had finished my first zine: Dead in Hollywood: Sal Mineo (Issue 1). The manager was nice enough to let me leave a stack of my zines in the lobby next to postcards of Sal.