The Hollywood Book of Death: The Bizarre, Often Sordid, Passings of More than 125 American Movie and TV Idols

Advertised as good and arrived as almost new.

Based on the books title, I was half-expecting some sensationalist schlock, but took a chance based on how many celebrities were covered. I'm so glad I did! The book doesn't just cover the most famous deaths like Marilyn Monroe and Natalie Wood, but it also covers lesser known stars like the actor who played Buckwheat, and the actress who played Auntie Em in "The Wizard of Oz". All of the stories were interesting, and pretty in-depth. Some of the more famous actors were presented differently than I've read in other books about their deaths, but it's not that surprising given how many theories there are about these super-celebrities. James Dean's death stuck out to me especially, given that I've read elsewhere that Dean wasn't actually speeding at the time of his death. And, of course, no two people will ever agree on how Marilyn Monroe died.The only real issue I had with the book was the way the author classified several deaths as "suicides", when they might not have actually been suicides. One actor (I don't remember his name), apparently held a gun to his head and pulled the trigger while joking around, thinking it wasn't loaded, which hardly counts as being a known suicide. To give the author credit, he does present these in an unbiased, neutral way, settling on just presenting the details and letting the reader come to their own conclusions, but many of the so-called "suicides" in that section didn't seem to me to belong there.It was still a fascinating read, and I learned a ton about actors whose deaths I had heard of, but knew little about. For example, I knew that Chris Farley had died of a drug overdose, but I never knew the almost unbelievable story of his last few days. The story of Freddie Prinze was also interesting. I loved that it covered a wide variety of celebrities, from a variety of time-periods, rather than focusing on the most famous and the most recent. It focused quite a bit on Old Hollywood, which is what I'm most interested, so that was perfect. The author sticks mostly to the facts, and avoids trying to glamorize, or even villify, the many, many, celebrities covered in the book. Definitely worth a re-read!

Mostly devoted to older Hollywood stars, could have used more photos.

I have what is essentially two other copies of this book published under different titles that date back to pre-1994. This incarnation includes an index which matches cemeteries and their dead celeb residents. Beware that if you plan to use this as a cemetery tour book, there are some serious inaccuracies contained within.What particularly irks me is that the author used bad sources for his information and didn't verify his information. This was not necessary as most of this information could have been verified online. Far better and more accurate information in print can be obtained by buying a recent book by Allen Ellenberg that covers LA County cemeteries. THE INFORMATION IN THIS BOOK IS ACCURATE AS OF ITS DATE OF PUBLICATION.My biggest personal gripe with this book.....if you are going to repackage it as 'new', it would be really nice if an attempt were made to correct past errors. If this was done, it is not evident to me. As for the bulk of the book which contains stories of heartbreak and (eventually) death, this book is a good read. Parish is a good writer and manages to keep his reader hooked.

Lots of interesting stories in here. But really needs to be updated. So many things have happened over the past 15-20 years that aren't included in this book.

I enjoy reading about Hollywood, and this book fit the bill. Full of juicy tidbits and scandals but also sad lives and deaths. Anyone interested in reading about old and not so old Hollywood will enjoy this book. For many movie stars their public personalities are so very different from their personal lives. So very sad but a good read for us.

James Parish wrote a substantial reference book on entertainers deaths. Including the well known to the very obscure and grouping in categories such as natural causes, suicides, homicides,and the unexplained, it was entertaining, sad, touching, some humor, but respectful. I revisited some familiar deaths and learned a lot from the many myths circulating. I very much enjoyed hearing of the life's and deaths of many I barely heard of, if at all. There were some discrepancies adding to the myths. But overall I was impressed by the detail. The book culminates with a long necrology featuring all included in this book along with many others. A handy guide when you wonder whatever happened to, or how old were they when they died to satisfy your curiosity or you family and friends. Of course this book as large as it is covers a fraction of celebrity deaths. I certainly hope James Parish continues with further volumes.

James Parish has a handy guide to Hollywood deaths. And, as you start to read, it's almost like popcorn: eat one bite and you can't stop. Why the appeal of these death stories? Are we curious? Are we awed? Are we looking for a taste of our own deaths?I'm not sure, but we all must go into that black night, and to see the famous dissolve into nothingness is strangely gratifying. We all disappear, no matter how much fame we have. And this quality of life, our own deaths, fascinates. Not one of these mighty people have returned from the dead. Not one. And, to our horror, none of us will return either.If you haven't accepted your mortality, this might be the book for you.

Incredibly shallow and painfully inaccurate account of Hollywood stars and their manner of death. This nonsense should have been killed first and saved a lot of paper!

This book is a bit bizarre, but if you like the old Hollywood stars then you will find it absorbing. Some of the stars are very well known, others less, and it should be said in all honesty there are some names i am not famillier with. Along with there demises is a fairly passable biography of the person, which, of course helps one to perhaps understand a little of the way they left the world, particularly in the section on suicides. Worth a read. The Hollywood Book of Death: The Bizarre, Often Sordid, Passings of More than 125 American Movie and TV Idols: The Bizarre, Often Sordid, Passings of Over 125 American Movie and TV IdolsThe Hollywood Book of Death: The Bizarre, Often Sordid, Passings of More than 125 American Movie and TV Idols: The Bizarre, Often Sordid, Passings of Over 125 American Movie and TV Idols

Excellent book...well written and informative...for anyone with a love of old hollywood and its stars,i found out some unexpected and shocking stories about some of the main characters of there era....love this book will read it again! 😁

A bit morbid, but interesting. This book looks at the deaths of over 125 movies and TV stars and directors, along with details of where they are buried. It is quite and interesting read I must admit.

Brilliant book! a must-read for anyone who loves Old Hollywood