Thirty-two tears ago today, on Wednesday, December 2, 1981, the drown and battered body that had once been host to the incredibly beautiful spirit of Natasha Gurdin aka Natalie Wood was laid to rest. Her funeral touched and stunned everyone in attendance, many of which were Hollywood Royalty. Not only had Natalie been loved by virtually everyone who ever worked with her; actors, producers, directors, even craft service, but she was a child of Hollywood. She had grown up in front of the world, and now she was gone. Taken tragically, before her time. Her youth, beauty, and celebrity status unable to save her from the final unexplainable tragedy. She left behind two small, grieving daughters and a husband who seemed barely to be able to make it through the service at all. The funeral was a star studded affair. The honorary Pallbearers a whos who of Hollywood legends- Rock Hudson, Frank Sinatra, Sir Laurence Oliver, Elia Kazan, Gregory Peck, David Niven, and Fred Astaire. The music, old Russian melodies she had loved, were from a balalaika, playing ever so softly in the background. Her casket was covered in a thousand gardenias, her favorite flowers and signature scent. Many spoke of her and the eulogy was delivered by her dear friend, actress, Hope Lange. RJ took three of the gardenias and gave them to the girls: Katie, Natasha, and Courtney to place on their mothers coffin, which he bent over and kissed. People remember Mud, heavily sedated, repeating to each person who came to console her how lucky and blessed they had been to know Natalie. She was buried under a camphor tree at Westwood Cemetery, very near the grave of her best friend Norma Crane, and not far from Marilyn Monroes crypt. Hers is one of the most visited resting places, even more so than Marilyns, and, in orthodox Russian tradition, fans leave pennies on her grave to bring her luck in the afterlife. Rip, Natalie...you will be forever missed. :(
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 09:26:38 +0000