Two years have gone since the passing of the renowned actress and singer Doris Day, who was one of the brightest stars of the Hollywood Golden Age and died at the age of 97.
Between 1947 and 1967, she released more than 650 songs, appeared in close to 30 films, and won numerous honors for her commitment to music and filmmaking, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Although the adored actress and singer passed away in 2019, a close friend just recently revealed that she didn’t want a burial, memorial service, or grave marker. Let’s investigate why…
There are so many reasons to admire Doris Day, including her skill, love of animals, and modesty.
Doris had a 50-year career and was well-liked and respected for her work in movies. She gained fame as a result of her roles in films including Pillow Talk, Love Me or Leave Me, and The Man Who Knew Too Much.
The 97-year-old had four marriages but had one child overall. Terry Mulcher, Day’s son from her first marriage to Al Jorden, passed away from cancer in 2004.
Day was a well-known animal rights activist in addition to his success on the big screen. She advocated for animals without a voice and was an extremely kind person.
Doris was a Grammy-winning singer in addition.
Sentimental Journey, Secret Love, and Que Sera Sera, three of her songs, were all entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and the Doris Day Animal Foundation was established as a result of her involvement with animals.
Doris Day tragically lost away in 2019 at her residence in Carmel Valley, California. Her charity, the Doris Day Animal Foundation, confirmed her death when she developed pneumonia and stated that, at her request, there will be no burial ceremonies, gravestone, or other forms of public remembrance.
She was instead cremated, and her remains were dispersed.
According to her close friend and manager Bob Bashara, she didn’t want to discuss the prospect of a funeral because she struggled with death.
And there was a genuine reason for her final wishes.
“She didn’t like death, and she couldn’t be with her animals if they had to be put down. She had difficulty accepting death,” he said in an interview.
“I’d say we need to provide for her dogs [after she died], and she’d say, ‘I don’t want to think about it’ and she said, ‘Well, you just take care of them,’” recalls Bashara.
“She had several when her will was written, and she wanted to be sure they were taken care of. She didn’t like to talk about the dogs dying.”
Day became an active advocate for animal rights in the early 1970s, condemning the wearing of fur and founding the Doris Day Animal Foundation.
In 2020, she raised $3 million for the cause by auctioning off more than 1,000 of her items. She even assisted in the establishment of a Texas Horse Rescue and Adoption Center that provides care for neglected and abandoned horses.
Day was raised a Catholic and, after marrying producer Martin Melcher, became a committed Christian Scientist.
Her first marriage to trombonist Al Jorden, whom she met when she was 16, resulted in the birth of her lone child, Terrence “Terry” Paul Jorden. After being adopted by Day’s third husband, film producer Martin Melcher, Jorden eventually changed his name to Terrence Paul Melcher.
Day “drifted away” from organized religion after Melcher died in 1968, Bashara explained, but remained “a spiritual person.”
“She believed in God, and she thought her voice was God-given,” he says. “She would say, ‘God gave me a voice, and I just used it.’”
Day retired from acting in the early 70s but did return for two TV shows. Then in 1985 she hosted her own television talk show “Doris Day’s Best Friends”, on the Christian Broadcasting Network which ran for a year.
Her friend and manager Bashara says he remains unsure as to why Day was reluctant to have a funeral, but explains, “I think it was because she was a very shy person.”
Kaley Cuoco To Play Doris Day In Warner Bros TV Limited Series.
Kaley Cuoco, the executive producer and star of The Flight Attendant, is creating a limited series based on the A.E. The 1976 book Doris Day: Her Own Story by Hotchner. The star is Cuoco.
Warner Bros., Norman Productions, and Cuoco’s Yes After Flight Attendant, television is collaborating with Berlanti Production once more. As of right now, no network is connected.
Her third (of four) spouses left her in debt after he passed away in 1968, but a job in television, which she detested, kept her out of financial ruin in the 1970s. Day started advocating for animals in the 1970s. Like Day, Cuoco champions and supports causes related to animal welfare.
The Doris Day project is the latest in Cuoco’s overall Yes, Norman exclusive deal to develop new original programming with Warner Bros. Television Group. She extended her collaboration with the Studio by signing a new, exclusive multiyear overall agreement in 2019.
He said Day knew her fans loved her from the letters she received but never understood why so many people loved her.
“She never let her celebrity affect her and who she was, and she was always the little girl from Cincinnati who was extraordinarily talented and went out in the world and did what she loved to do despite herself,” he says.
She was cremated and had her ashes scattered.
Her estate was donated to charity.
This legendary actress and singer will forever be loved and remembered. Rest in peace Doris Day. Please share.