Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Memorial Park was opened in 1899 by businessman Isaac Van Nuys. It would go on to be the final resting place for many Hollywood elite, this has made it a popular tourist attraction. In 1931 the property was sold. Under the new management, the property started to decline. Families were having their loved one’s remains moved elsewhere. In 1994 an earthquake damaged the property. Tombstones and crypts cracked and a sinkhole opened up around the graves. In 1997, an investor purchased it, restored it, and renamed it Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Concerts, movie screenings, and a Day of the Dead Celebration are held on the cemetery grounds. The Cemetery is a popular place to visit, not only for fans but also for those buried within the graves.
Located adjacent to paramount studios, people have claimed to see spirits coming from the cemetery through the walls of the studio. People have seen apparitions dressed in the ’30s and ’40s style clothing. Footsteps can be heard when no one is around. Equipment turns on and off by itself.
Vampira herself, Maila Nurmi, has been seen strutting her 38-17-36 frame past her tombstone. Fans leave her sets of vampire teeth.
Clifton Webb, the original Mr. Belvedere, haunts the Pslams and Abbey mausoleum. He has been seen gliding through the mausoleum while whistling, and leaving the scent of his cologne in the air. Inside the mausoleum, you can hear whispering voices, see strange lights, and feel cold air drafts. In death, Mr. Webb’s spirit is very busy as he travels between the cemetery and his home.
Virginia Rappe grieves her tragic death at an infamous party at the hands of Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle. Virginia can be seen weeping on the edge of the lake located in the cemetery. Around her grave, visitors have noticed the air turn icy cold.
William Randolph Hurst’s spirit travels from his final resting place in San Francisco to visit his longtime mistress, Actress Marion Davies.
Rudolph Valentino, The Great Lover, left women in hysterics when he died in 1926 at the age of 31 from a ruptured ulcer. On the first anniversary of his death, a lady dressed in all in black from her veil to her shoes knelt before his crypt and left roses. Every year since, long after her own death, she has returned to his grave to mourn.
If you're in Hollywood looking for celebrities, make sure to drop by the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, you just might see a glimpse of a star from the past.
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