Tragically Marie's life came to a sudden end on October 21, 1965. She had died from an accidental overdose of percodan at the young age of forty-two. Marie is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Her final resting place is in the Freedom Mausoleum. Many other stars are buried in that mausoleum including Clara Bow, George Burns, Dorothy Dandridge, Alan Ladd, and Jeanette MacDonald. Marie is buried in the mausoleum's Sanctuary Of Heritage which is on the first floor near the main entrance. Her crypt is at the end of the hall next to the stained glass window. Marie's funeral took place on Saturday, October 24, 1965, in Forest Lawn's Church of the Recessional. There were only fifty people at the service. Three of the pallbearers were Marie's former lawyers who had worked on her numerous legal cases. Among the mourners were Marie's mother and step-father, her three young children (Harrison, Denise, and Tina Marie), her husband Donald F. Taylor, her ex-husband Lou Bass, actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr, and her friends Mary Miller and Red Douglas. Her eulogy was given by Reverend Richard L. Brooks of Chalsworth Methodist Church. He told her children "When a child loses his mother early in life, it seems like life will stretch on endlessly with the loss. You have learned to love the love you have received from her". In January 1966 Marie's husband Donald committed suicide in the same room where she had died. He was buried next to her but the grave mistakenly gives the year of his death as 1965. Forest Lawn Memorial Park is located at 1712 S. Glendale Avenue. It is open every day from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM. Forest Lawn is a beautiful place (Michael Jackson was recently buried there). Some sections of the cemetery are private but The Freedom Mausoleum is open to the public.
I have been to Marie's grave many times. Forest Lawn is my favorite cemetery and I have made plans to be buried there.
If you have any questions about visiting Forest Lawn please E-mail me at Elizabeth@mariemcdonald.org
