The Best Celebrity Memorials You Can Visit
While no person is immortal, some of the most influential celebrities can create legacies that live on forever. And fans who may want to mourn or just thank the artist for their work will sometimes visit their memorials for inspiration or reflection.
Celebrity memorials can come in many forms. There are gravesites, of course, but there are also entire museums dedicated to beloved stars. In addition, some fans flock to residences or statues created in the celebrity's likeness. Here are some of the most popular celebrity memorials to visit during your travels.
Marilyn Monroe
Considering the incredible legacy she left behind, it's amazing to think that Marilyn Monroe was only alive for 36 years. The actress and model continues to be a subject of fascination of fans around the world.
There are two ways that admirers can pay tribute to Monroe. She is interred at Westwood Memorial Park's Corridor of Memories in California. There is also a special Marilyn Monroe room at the Roosevelt Hotel, where the actress lived for two years.
Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison and his legendary band, The Doors, are most often associated with the group's home city of Los Angeles. Morrison met fellow bandmate Ray Manzarek when the two were students at UCLA, and The Doors grew from there.
Fans don't pay respects to Morrison in LA, though, they do so in Paris. Morrison died in the French city in 1971 at the age of 27. The Parisian gravesite draws huge numbers of mourners each year.
Princess Diana
Princess Diana was beloved not only in England, but worldwide. Her style, grace, and charitable work gave her an incredible legacy. And when she died in a car accident in 1997, the shockwaves were felt all over the world.
The Princess is interred at her family home in Northamptonshire, England. There is a memorial to Diana built in the middle of a lake on the property. A temple in her honor was built nearby.
Bruce Lee
Martial artist Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco, California but his incredible charisma and skills in martial arts skills took him all over the world. Lee went to college in Seattle, Washington and also met his wife Linda, there.
The actor passed away from a cerebral edema while filming in Hong Kong in 1973. His body was then moved back to Seattle where he was buried in Lakeview Cemetary. His son, Brandon, who was killed in a tragic set accident in 1993, is buried alongside him.
Prince
Born with the full name Prince Rogers Nelson in 1958, the artist electrified audiences from the late '70s up until his untimely death in 2016. Not only was he an amazing performer, he was also a prodigious songwriter who left behind hundreds of unproduced songs.
Prince fans often flock to his Paisley Park studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota (pictured), which does daily tours. Other places of note include the First Avenue music club and the house from Purple Rain.
Harry Houdini
Everything Harry Houdini did came with an air of mystery. Born in Budapest in 1874, the magician became a worldwide phenomenon with his intrigue and flair. He died in 1926, supposedly after a punch to the stomach while performing a trick.
Houdini is buried in Machpelah Cemetery in Queens, New York. His gravesite is quite original and features a bust of the magician. Members of the Society of American Magicians engraved the memorial at the time of Houdini's burial.
Jerry Garcia
Few bands in music history have inspired more hardcore fans than The Grateful Dead. The group's longtime frontman, Jerry Garcia died in 1995 of a heart attack. While he's gone, he's long from forgotten.
There is not just one place where fans pay tribute to the singer and guitar player. There are often gatherings outside the 710 Ashbury House in San Francisco (pictured) where the band once lived together. Fans also spend time at Garcia's childhood home as well as McLaren Park.
Frank Sinatra
Despite the fact that Frank Sinatra recorded his first song in the 1930s, the music still feels fresh and original nearly 90 years later. Fans still feel incredibly connected to the singer even though he passed away in 1998.
The Sinatra family has made it easy for people to visit the singer's memorial. His Palm Springs estate is open to visitors with the music studio still intact. Fans can even stay overnight at the Sinatra House, though it costs a pretty penny.
Walt Disney
To this day, the name Disney is still synonymous with entertainment. Not only did Walt Disney create Mickey Mouse, he also built two world-famous theme parks that children everywhere still dream of visiting.
Disney died at the age of 65 back in 1966. The long-time smoker eventually succumbed to lung cancer. He is buried in a public cemetery at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. The grave is still visited by thousands of admirers each year.
Kurt Cobain
Seattle is the site of a number of celebrity memorials including those of Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Lee. It was also the hometown of legendary Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain.
The memorial to Cobain isn't necessarily confined to just one spot, but a number of them. There is a mural painted of the musician downtown. There's also a "Come As You Are" sign on US 12 and a statue of Cobain at the Aberdeen Museum of History.
John Belushi
His manic comedic persona made John Belushi a major star. Between his stint on Saturday Night Live and movies like National Lampoon's Animal House and The Blues Brothers, he was one of the biggest comedy actors of his time.
Unfortunately, Belushi's manic persona also existed off stage and he died of an overdose in 1982. Although he died in Los Angeles, his body was buried in Martha's Vinyard, Massachusetts. The skull-and-crossbones-marked grave is a popular tourist attraction.
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson spent the majority of his life as one of the most famous human beings on the planet. The fame often gave him problems and the singer died from an overdose in 2009.
A steady stream of fans flocks to his grave in Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Glendale, California. While they are there, they can also visit the graves of a number of other celebs. Humphrey Bogart, Elizabeth Taylor, Nat King Cole, and Clark Gable are also buried there.
Andy Warhol
Pop artist Andy Warhol coined the phrase "15 Minutes of Fame." His legacy, though, has lasted long beyond that. The artist died in 1987 at the age of 58.
Warhol has a simple burial plot at St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cemetery in Pennsylvania. The gravesite also features a statue of the artist. Fans who pay respects at the memorial often leave behind Campbell's soup cans in honor of one of his most legendary pieces of art. For those who can't visit, there is a 24/7 live video stream of the gravesite online.
Georgia O'Keeffe
Georgia O'Keeffe, sometimes called "The Mother of American Modernism," was born in Wisconsin in 1887. She became famous for her paintings which often depicted subjects like New York Skyscrapers, gigantic flowers, and the plains of New Mexico.
Fans of the artist have a few different options to pay tribute to her. They can view over 1,000 of her pieces at Sante Fe's Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. They can also opt to visit her Abiquiu Home and Studio or tour the Ghost Ranch which inspired a number of her paintings.
Elvis Presley
One of the most remarkable memorials to a celebrity, Graceland was built long before Elvis Presley passed away. While he was living, the Memphis compound was his playground, entertainment center, and Cadillac garage.
Since he died, Graceland has become an incredible memorial to the King of Rock and Roll. Each year, hundreds of thousands of fans walk around the complex viewing Elvis' gold records, his outfits, and all other kinds of memorabilia.
Bob Marley
Bob Marley brought reggae music from the island of Jamaica to all corners of the world. His message of love and peace has continued to spread despite the singer's untimely 1981 death at the age of 36.
The star's birthday, February 6th, is a holiday in Jamaica and many fans celebrate by visiting his final resting place in the village of Nine Mile. The village not only contains Marley's mausoleum, but also features a museum dedicated to the artist.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was quite famous when he was still alive and producing plays. In the hundreds of years since his death, however, he has become even more well known. The Bard's gravesite is visited by thousands each year.
The playwright is buried in England's Holy Trinity Church. The area features a statue of Shakespeare and a warning that reads, "Bleste be the man that spares these stones, And curst be he who moves my bones."
Johnny Ramone
While they may not have known many chords, the Ramones' rock and roll attitude made them legends in their own time. Lead guitarist and songwriter Johnny Ramone died in 2004 as a result of complications from prostate cancer.
Ramone is buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in a gravesite that features a statue of him with a guitar. While at the cemetery, fans can also check out the final resting places of Mickey Rooney and Mel Blanc.
John Lennon
John Lennon ushered in a new era of rock and roll with the Beatles and as a solo artist. The legendary singer was from Liverpool, England, but he found a second home in New York City.
He was slain in New York in 1980 by a crazed fan. The apartment where Lennon lived, The Dakota, is right outside Central Park. A memorial area in the park called Strawberry Fields was dedicated to Lennon and millions of fans have paid their respects to the artist there in the years since his death.
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix, and his incredible guitar skills, is still inspiring players to this very day. The lefty had a style that had never been heard before and still hasn't really been reproduced.
The guitarist tragically died in 1970, while he was heavily intoxicated. He was just 27. The Hendrix family moved Jimi's body to a memorial near his hometown of Seattle, Washington. The site is outfitted with a dramatic marble dome.
