(2005-01-19)
Controversial celebrity death and scandal expert Scott Michaels (FindADeath.com) began operating “Dearly Departed Tours” in Hollywood, CA on Saturday, January 1, 2005.
The nearly three-hour tour (complete with The Skipper!) is hosted and narrated by Michaels aboard his 14-passenger “Tomb Buggy” van. It will feature nearly 100 famous and infamous locations relating to celebrity death and scandal in the Hollywood and Los Angeles areas.
“Working on Hollywood Boulevard makes me feel like an old hooker, and owning and operating a tour tailored to the dark side of Hollywood history is a dream come true! It is the natural evolution of the Death Hag cultural phenomenon created by my website, Find A Death. It’s an honor to show people these places. It's exactly what I would want to see if I were visiting,” said Michaels.
Michaels, who has gained notoriety on the Internet for his irreverent commentary on the final moments of celebrity lives, is a former guide for the now deceased Grave Line Tours. He sees his new one-man operation as filling a niche, so to speak, in the Hollywood sightseeing industry. “We’re all obsessed with celebrity, and where they die, well, that’s history. What I do is bring people to the places where such news is made while offering my own spin on the matter,” he said.
The tour encompasses decades of Tinseltown intrigue. Included are The Manson Family murder sites, the soon to be demolished Ambassador Hotel where Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated, the garage where James Dean picked up his Porsche the morning of his fatal accident and, what Michaels terms “the real Nightmare on Elm Street,” The Menendez Brothers homicide house.
Michaels will also point out sites of a different notorious nature. “There will be one restroom stop where you can drop your drawers and ‘reenact’ George Michael's (no relation) most infamous moment, and all guests will receive a complimentary copy of his police report,” he explained.
Also included are the locations where stars took their final breaths, such as Frank Sinatra, Jean Harlow, River Phoenix, Albert Dekker, Bela Lugosi and Alan Hale, Jr., “The Skipper” from “Gilligan’s Island.” “And of course the chick that jumped off the Hollywood Sign in 1932,” added Michaels.
“Dearly Departed Tours” runs daily, Thursday through Sunday at 1:00pm (Summer hours differ) from the corner of N. McCadden Place and Hollywood Boulevard, a tombstone’s throw away from famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.
The cost is $35 per Live Body and reservations are strongly recommended, and gift certificates are also available: call (323) 466-3696 or email e-mail protected from spam bots. Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover are accepted.
Content is of an adult nature so parents should be cautioned about subject matter and possible language.
For more information, visit http://www.dearlydepartedtours.com
Contact
Lisa Burks
(626) 229-8612
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