Continue to the south, past a large tree, and you'll come to the final resting place of Roy Orbison (1936-1988). Roy was the mysterious singer-songwriter with the dark glasses and the incredible voice, who gave us hit songs such as "Oh Pretty Woman," "Crying," and "Only the Lonely." He had just finished work on a new "Traveling Wilburys." CD when he died unexpectedly in 1988, at age 52.

For some reason, Roy is buried in an unmarked grave (#97). The caretaker tells me that Orbison's family had originally said they planned to install an elaborate, black granite headstone, inscribed with the singer's songs - but a decade after his death, his grave remains without a marker.

Fortunately, you came to the right website - here's how to find Roy's grave: from Donna Reed's grave, notice that there are two large trees directly to the west (to your left when you're reading Donna's headstone). Roy's grave lies in the same row as Donna's, but between these two trees. On the left side of his grassy spot is a headstone which reads "Frank Wright Tuttle," and on his right is a small black marker which reads "Grandma Martha Monroe."

(Incidentally, Frank Wright Tuttle is famous in his own right as a director of films such as "This Gun For Hire" with Alan Ladd, and "The Big Broadcast" with Bing Crosby and George Burns.)

Frank Zappa's (1940-1993) grave is also unmarked. It's grave #100, located about eight yards to the west of Roy Orbison's grave, near a large tree. Frank's unmarked grave is right next to (just to the right of) the marked grave of actor Lew Ayres. Always an outlandish individualist, Frank Zappa (and his Mothers of Invention) turned out over 60 unique albums before succumbing to prostate cancer at the age of 53.

Character actor Lew Ayres (1908-1996) is also buried here on the west lawn, immediuately to the left (west) of Zappa. He won an Academy Award for his 1948 role as a doctor in "Johnny Belinda" and earlier played 'Dr. Kildare' in a series of movies during the 1930's-40's. His grave is on the lawn near the west curb, three or four spaces west of the large tree that is west of Roy Orbison's grave. (see the map.)

From Roy Orbison's grave, note that there is another tree farther to the southwest, with a white stone bench in front of it (on the south side of the tree.) Here, just to the south of this bench, partially hidden under the flowers & plants, is the weathered headstone of actor Jim Backus (1913-1989), who played the millionaire ("Mr. Howell") on TV's "Gilligan's  Island," and provided the cartoon voice of the near-sighted "Mr. Magoo."

Jim Backus' grave is just above (north of) a crowded collection of tiny plots - an urn garden. And near the northeast edge of this crowded urn garden is the small marker of Sebastian Cabot (1918-1977), who played the butler "Mr. French" in the popular 60's TV sitcom "Family Affair." It's about 12 markers in from the northeast corner of this group of markers. (Ironically, his co-star on that show, Brian Keith, is also buried here at Pierce Bros.)

Now go back to Natalie Wood's grave, then walk to the southeast. Four rows south of a large tree near the center of the lawn, you'll find the grave of actress Dorothy Stratten (1960-1980), the Playboy model whose tragic life was recounted in the 1983 movie "Star 80."
She was going with "Paper Moon" director Peter Bogdanovich when she was brutally murdered by her estranged husband. (Eight years later, Bogdanovich married Dorothy's younger sister, Louise.) Her eye-catching brown headstone contains a lengthy epitaph from Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms ." (Click on the small photo for a larger version you can read.)

From Dorothy's grave, walk to the right (east), and down a little, and you'll find the grave of singer Minnie Riperton (1947-1979), who died tragically in 1979 of cancer (at age 31). The lyrics to her hit song, "Lovin' You" (1975), are inscribed on her headstone. (see the map.)

Above (north of) Minnie's grave, and a little to the right (east) is a huge gnarled tree, near the eastern edge of the central lawn. Just to the left (west) of this of this old tree are the two tiny markers of Will & Ariel Durant (1885-1981), the husband & wife writing team who gave the world the acclaimed "Story of Civilization."

About five rows south of the Durants and a few spaces to the left of Minnie Riperton (and perhaps four rows up from the curb) is the grave of Beach Boy Carl Wilson (1946-1998) (brother of Brian Wilson).. His black and white marker reads "Carl Dean Wilson," with small white hearts next to his name, and "the heart and voice of an angel". And indeed, Carl's pure lead vocals made the songs "God Only Knows" and "Good Vibrations." blockbuster hits for the Beach Boys. He passed away at the age of 51 of lung cancer.

Last, but not least in this central lawn area, is comic actress Eve Arden (1908-1990), famous on both television and radio as "Our Miss Brooks." As the wise-cracking Connie Brooks, a harried teacher at Madison High School, Ms. Arden clashed with principal Osgood Conklin (Gale Gordon), humored goofy student Walter Denton (Richard Crenna), and unsuccessfully pursued fellow teacher, Mr. Boynton. Eve Arden is perhaps best remembered by today's generation as 'Principal McGee' in the hit musical "Grease," but she also had important roles in such movies as "Mildred Pierce" and "Stage Door." You can find her grave just four spaces west of that of Will & Ariel Durant (and the big tree). She is buried next to her husband, Brooks West, and her headstone reads:

But you won't find Marilyn Monroe's (1926-1962) grave in this main grassy section. In fact, Marilyn isn't in a grave at all. She's buried above-ground in one of the white mausoleum crypts, near the northeast corner of the park.

Actually, her crypt and marker are quite plain. It looks like all the others along the stone wall, except that it's slightly darker - stained by the multitude of fans who have touched and kissed it. Her small marker reads "Marilyn Monroe: 1926-1962."

From the huge old tree near Eve Arden and the Durants' graves, just walk straight north to the wall of outdoor crypts. A white stone bench, dedicated to Marilyn, lies just a few steps away from her crypt. Her tomb area, the Corridor of Memories, is not gated (as are some of the others areas here), but is open to full view.

Although Marilyn appeared in a number of successful movies, ("Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" "How to Marry a Millionaire", "The Seven Year Itch", "Some Like it Hot", "The Misfits"), the origins of her superstar status may lie more with her life away from the movie camera than with her skill as an actress.

Formerly named Norma Jeane Baker, she was Playboy's very first centerfold in 1953 (at a time when nudity was still taboo in Hollywood). Nicknamed the "Blonde Bombshell", she was married to both baseball superstar Joe DiMaggio and later to playwright Arthur Miller ("Death of a Salesman"), and was rumored to have had affairs with everyone from Yves Montand to President Kennedy. The memorable subway scene from "Seven Year Itch", where the wind blows up her white dress, has been reproduced (and mimicked) so often that it has become as much a part of Hollywood iconography as the Hollywood sign itself. Add to that her tragic suicide from a drug overdose at a young age (just 36), near the height of her career, and a hint of mystery surrounding her death, and you have the recipe for a true Tinseltown legend.

(Her co-star in "Some Like it Hot", Jack Lemon, is also buried nearby at Pierce Bros Westwood, as is the director of that film, Billy Wilder.)

To find Marilyn's tomb from the park's main entrance, turn left at the entrance and follow the driveway east, alongside the wall of crypts, to the northeast corner of the park. Here, on this south-facing wall of crypts, Marilyn's crypt is the second from the bottom, and the second from the west corner wall. Marilyn's tomb is easy to spot because it is discolored (slightly reddish) from all the lipstick fans have left on it.

( The crypt directly above Marilyn's sold on eBay for $4.6 million in 2009. The original occupant of that upper crypt, Richard Poncher, was buried upside down above Marilyn.  But after 23 years, his widow decided to move his remains and auction the space to pay off her mortgage and free the money for her kids. )

Look at the upper left corner of the same wall where Marilyn is buried (just one space to the left and two spaces up), and you'll see the crypt of Jay Livingston (1915-2001). The name may not ring a bell, but the songs he wrote will. Along with his partner in song, Ray Evans, Jay penned classics such as the Christmas carol "Silver Bells", and Academy Award winning songs such as "Mona Lisa" (a big hit for Nat King Cole), "Buttons and Bows" (a hit for Bob Hope in "The Paleface"), and "Que Sera Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" (which became Doris Day's theme song). Together, the team of Livingston & Evans wrote 26 songs that sold more than 1 million copies each, including "Dear Heart" (a big hit for Andy Williams) and "Tammy" (from the Debbie Reynolds film). They also wrote the memorable themes to the TV shows "Bonanza" and "Mr. Ed", and have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

(The other half of this songwriting duo, Ray Evans, lived until 2007, and the ripe age of 92. Ray's ashes were alongside those of his late wife Wynn in the nearby rose garden at Pierce Bros.)