The Lighter Side Of Death by venemous george

We all know nobody is perfect, and that even includes Popes. It seems that in centuries past these supposed holiest of all men weren't quite held to the same high standards as most of our more modern Popes. Consider the case of Pope John Xll 955-963... Also known as Pope John "The Bad," he held... Sign in to see full entry.

Few television interviews ever ended more bizarrely then tv personality Dick Cavett's 1971 interview with health food proponent Jerome Rodale. Rodale had been pontificating on the merits of eating healthy unprocessed foods, and bragged to his host that by following his own healthy lifestyle he... Sign in to see full entry.

The next time someone accuses you of acting like a clown, you can point out to your attacker that being a clown isn't all fun and games and sometimes it can actually be an occupational hazard. Take the ultra weird case of French clown, Yves Abouchar. During a 1994 performance Yves choked to death... Sign in to see full entry.

I'm not sure if too many people have heard of Leonard Orr. Decades ago he was one of the founding fathers of the "New Age Movement." He claimed to have learned the secrets of immortality from several immortal Yogi masters living deep in the Himalayas, including Babaji, who was said to have inhabited... Sign in to see full entry.

In addition to having the best first name, I always thought George Harrison was the most talented of the foursome, even though he had an uphill battle of having to compete against the galaxy sized ego's of both McCartney and Lennon. In 1994 a Beatles tribute band tragically loses its own "George... Sign in to see full entry.

"Your husband is having an affair with the married neighbor, and he has fifteen thousand dollars hidden which he's planning to give her." That was the message Nellie Hurd received from her Ouija board when she consulted it to ask if her seventy seven year old husband Herbert was having an affair.... Sign in to see full entry.

Hollywood, the land of unrivaled narcissism and excess, proves that entertainers won't let a little thing like death prevent them from trying to one-up each other. The largest and most impressive grave in Hollywood belongs to Al Jolson, who died of a heart attack in 1950. He was 64. His huge ornate... Sign in to see full entry.

In a classic twist from reel life to real life, 1958 Hollywood was set abuzz when Lana Turner's fourteen year old daughter, Cheryl Crane, killed her mother's mobster boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato (Talk about a great name for a mobster) in an attempt to save her mother from a vicious beating. To call... Sign in to see full entry.

Here's something interesting. Before she died of a heroin-morphine overdose in a room of the former Landmark Hotel in 1970, Janis Joplin had set aside $2,500 for her own wake. The Grateful Dead provided the music for the two hundred plus guests who had received invitations that read: "Drinks are on... Sign in to see full entry.

Since Hollywood leads the world in both narcisism and condecending self-congratulatory pompousness, it's no surprise that some of its inhabitants try to outdo each other even in death. Albert Dekker was a character actor during the 1940's and 50's. A big, dour looking guy, he was probably most... Sign in to see full entry.