The Heartbreaking Graves of Famous Comedians

A coast-to-coast tour of the graves and final resting places of 60 legendary comedians who made America laugh. From Forest Lawn in Glendale to a quiet cemetery on Martha's Vineyard, we visit the people behind the punchlines — vaudeville pioneers, golden age television stars, stand-up icons, and Saturday Night Live originals. Among those we visit: Bob Hope at Mission San Fernando, George Burns and Gracie Allen at Forest Lawn, Lucille Ball in the Hollywood Hills, Rodney Dangerfield at Westwood Village, Jack Benny and Milton Berle at Hillside Memorial, the Marx Brothers scattered across Los Angeles, Jackie Gleason in New Jersey, Richard Pryor back home in Peoria, John Belushi on Martha's Vineyard, and Robin Williams, whose ashes were scattered in San Francisco Bay. Along the way you'll hear stories about how Red Skelton painted thousands of clown portraits after losing his son, why Buster Keaton earned the nickname that stuck for life, what Jack Benny arranged for his wife after his death, the night Redd Foxx's castmates thought he was doing a bit, how Rodney Dangerfield quit comedy to sell aluminum siding for twelve years before coming back at 40, and how Gene Wilder kept a secret for three years so nobody would feel sad. Every fact was researched and verified. No detail about a grave, inscription, or monument was included unless it could be confirmed. If we weren't sure what something looked like, we said so — or we simply didn't mention it. Featured comedians include George Burns, Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, W.C. Fields, Red Skelton, Buster Keaton, Stan Laurel, Lucille Ball, Rodney Dangerfield, Don Knotts, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Carroll O'Connor, John Candy, Ray Bolger, Bob Hope, George Gobel, Mel Blanc, Estelle Getty, Andy Kaufman, Redd Foxx, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Shelley Berman, Lenny Bruce, Phil Silvers, Phyllis Diller, John Belushi, Art Carney, Gene Wilder, Fanny Brice, Ernie Kovacs, Henny Youngman, Totie Fields, Danny Kaye, Zero Mostel, Jackie Gleason, Lou Costello, Divine, Moms Mabley, Richard Pryor, Chris Farley, Gilda Radner, Harvey Korman, Jonathan Winters, Joan Rivers, Sid Caesar, Jimmy Durante, Fred Allen, Moe Howard, Curly Howard, Alan King, Jackie Mason, Sam Kinison, Bill Hicks, Garry Shandling, Buddy Hackett, Norm Crosby, Peter Falk, Bob Newhart, Robin Williams, and Minnie Pearl. — Sources used in research: Find a Grave (findagrave.com) — burial locations, plot details, and cemetery records for all 60 individuals Forest Lawn Memorial Park official records and historical documentation — Glendale and Hollywood Hills locations Kliph Nesteroff, "The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels, and the History of American Comedy" (Grove Press, 2015) — career timelines, industry context, and biographical detail The Paley Center for Media archives — broadcast dates, episode details, and award histories for television comedians Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences records (oscars.org) — award nominations, wins, and honorary awards referenced throughout Obituary archives via The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Associated Press — causes of death, ages, and funeral details