Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason’s brash visual and verbal comedy and on-stage presence on Broadway helped him catch his big break for the TV show “The Life of Riley” in 1949. He was a fan favorite, and he quickly caught the attention of major studios as well. After three years on “Life of Riley,” Gleason was given the show for which he is most remembered, “The Jackie Gleason Show.”
One of his most popular musical numbers on Broadway was “And Away We Go,” which became a trademark of his. “And away we go” became so linked to the comedian that it was inscribed on the stairs leading up to his gravestone.
John Lennon
Back in the day, there was a band called “The Beatles,” and one of the members was a guy named John Lennon. We kid: He was one of the most important songwriters and musicians of all time thanks to his part in the band, and after he was murdered in 1980, his ashes were scattered across an area of Central Park now known as Strawberry Fields, after one of his songs.
Buskers play Beatles songs (no matter how much people ask them to stop), and people leave flowers at a memorial both here and where Lennon lived, the Dakota apartments.
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe is perhaps one of the most famous names to come out of Hollywood. The actress was an idol of the 1950s and 60s. Despite her mental health struggles, the actress was so frustrated at being underpaid by film studio executives that she built her own studio in 1954, helping her take control of her career.
This was when Monroe starred in some of Hollywood's most acclaimed and memorable films, like "Some Like It Hot" and "The Misfits." The iconic blonde's gravestone has been kissed by countless fans and is now adorned in lipstick of eternal admiration.
Ernest Hemingway
Just as famous for his love of the outdoors as he is for his sparse prose style, Hemingway was a legendary figure in the literary world as soon as he began. Just like the man's writing, it says only what it needs to and then moves on, bearing his full name and the span of his life.
It's proper that this consummate outdoorsman is buried in Idaho's Rocky Mountains alongside his wife, son, and granddaughter. There are no other decorations required for this simple man, and the stone is often covered by brush. People will sometimes bring bottles of alcohol, Hemingway's true love, as gifts.
Edgar Allen Poe
Edgar Allen Poe’s death was as complex as his life. He was originally buried in an unmarked grave in Baltimore in 1849. Fearing the community would forget where he was buried, a gravestone was ordered before it could reach the cemetery; however, it was destroyed in a freak train wreck.
So contributions were made, and a beautiful monument was designed for the late poet. The monument was a disaster; it mislabeled Poe’s birthday and was too big for the spot it was meant to be in. Finally, in 1875 the people gave up putting a gravestone and just moved the body to a different cemetery with a separate tombstone already waiting. Reportedly, the gravestone with the raven on it was placed to commemorate his original resting place…but is placed in an incorrect spot.