Thanks to the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission and Los Angeles City Council, the Hollywood Forever Cemetery is going to become a historic-cultural monument. Having the cemetery on the National Register of Historic Places as of its 100th birthday in 1999 isn’t enough for this beautiful place of rest.
The Hollywood Forever Cemetery is known having the who’s who of celebrity burial plots. This welcoming place is a well-known spot for tourists to take selfies with some of the most famous tombstones of 120 years, all located in one place. With names like Chris Cornell, Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone, Judy Garland, Terry (aka Toto from Wizard of Oz), Rudolph Valentino, Estelle Getty, Cecil B. DeMille, Mel Blanc, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, Maila Nurmi (aka Vampira), and so many more, the Hollywood Forever Cemetery is well overdo for its official historic title.
HOLLYWOOD FOREVER CEMETERY
EST. 1899
The Hollywood Forever Cemetery also holds a variety of events, such as morning yoga, outdoor movie screenings, laidback concerts, comedy shows, a huge annual Dia de los Muertos event, podcast tapings, author evenings. This peaceful place isn’t just where you lay your loved ones to rest; it’s a place to bring happiness to the living and enjoy what the grounds have to offer.
Pre-COVID times, there was an annual Johnny Ramone tribute night that would include Ramones memorabilia shared by Johnny’s widow, Linda Ramone, with amazing works of art by popular artists, food trucks, celebrity speakers and performers, followed by a screening of a beloved movie of Johnny’s. You could bring your lawn chairs and hang out with your family watching the celebrity performances and speakers and take photos of historic tombstones.
PHOTO by Chris Pizzello (AP)
While Johnny Ramone’s tombstone is here, his ashes remain with Linda in their home. Chris Cornell is buried next to Johnny’s tombstone because the two were good friends, and both of their widows (Linda and Vicky) remain close. Scott Weiland’s funeral was held at the HFC, but he is not buried here.
JOEY RAMONE STATUE at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
If you ever have the chance to visit Hollywood Forever Cemetery, it is in your best interest to take it. Due to its location on a busy portion of Santa Monica Blvd., if you weren’t looking for it, you would pass right by it. Through its tall and majestic gates, there are 100 acres of beautiful landscaping that you never would have imagined in the heart of bustling Los Angeles.
