John Barrymore came from a long line of theater actors. He himself first appeared on stage alongside his father in 1900, and in 1903 officially began his career, starring in the likes of Justice (1916) and Richard III (1920). His greatest role was his 1992 appearance in Hamlet, for which he was dubbed “the greatest living American tragedian.”
Barrymore also starred in a slew of silent films, most notably Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920), Sherlock Holmes (1922) and Beau Brummel (1924). He later made the transition to sound movies, starring in the likes of Grand Hotel (1932) and Midnight (1939).
On May 29, 1942, Barrymore died at the age of 60 from pneumonia and cirrhosis. What happened next has been the subject of many rumors. It’s alleged his friends, Errol Flynn, W.C. Fields and Sadakichi Hartmann snuck into the morgue where his body was being held, propped him up against a poker table and allowed him to experience one final celebration.
As it turns out, these rumors are true! In an August 2020 episode of the popular YouTube series Hot Ones, the acting legend’s granddaughter, Drew Barrymore, revealed his corpse had actually been stolen.
“Not only yes, but there have been cinematic interpretations of it,” she exclaimed. Those interpretations include S.O.B., starring Julie Andrews, and allegedly the 1989 comedy Weekend at Bernie’s, in which two friends pretend their deceased boss is alive.
Barrymore added that she wants the same to happen to her. “I will say this, I hope my friends do the same for me. That is the kind of spirit I can get behind. Just prop the old bag up, let’s have a few rounds.
“I think death comes with so much morose sadness and I understand that, but if it’s okay, just for me, if everybody could be really happy and celebratory and have a party, that would be my preference.”
Vintage Hollywood certainly was a different era…
NFL reporter confirms passing of 2-year-old daughter after cancer diagnosis
Reporter for the NFL Doug Kyed disclosed that his daughter, who was two years old, died nine months after receiving a devastating diagnosis of leukemia.
Little Hallie Kyed reportedly suffered the devastating blow in April 2023. Doug, her father and a Boston Herald employee, announced on Instagram that his daughter had lost her battle in January 2021.
After Hallie underwent a bone marrow transplant and relapsed, Kyed disclosed that things had become worse.
Doug writes, “On Sunday morning, while Jen and I were holding her hands in bed, Hallie passed away peacefully in her sleep.””Without Hallie, we’re sad and totally lost. Never again will our lives be the same.
Doug stated in a letter after Hallie’s relapse that the family was making an effort to maintain optimism in spite of the clear challenges facing his daughter.
The reporter stated at the time, “I’m choosing to stay positive.”
“Hallie has overcome every challenge that AML has set in her path thus far. This will undoubtedly be her hardest test yet, but our spirited little Hallie Bear is more than capable of taking it on.
Nevertheless, Doug acknowledged that “we held out hope for remission because of how brave, strong, and resilient Hallie had been through her entire nine-month battle with acute myeloid leukemia and all of its complications,” adding that “the whole family spent special time at the hospital last week.” Doug added, “Knowing the prognosis was poor when she relapsed after her bone marrow transplant.”
Acute myeloid leukemia, according to the American Cancer Society, begins in the bone marrow and swiftly spreads to the blood. After that, it may spread to the central nervous system, liver, spleen, and lymph nodes.
Doug told the Boston Herald that since his daughter’s diagnosis last year, he had spent over half of his nights at Boston’s Children Hospital.
He clarified, “My wife and I have alternated between taking care of Hallie and our 5-year-old, Olivia, at home.
Jen, Doug’s wife, on the other hand, said that losing her daughter left a void in her heart.
Jen Kyed said, “There is an enormous hole in my heart, and the pain is unbearable.” “I’ll never be able to comprehend how or why something so terrible could occur.”
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