Ike Wister Turner was a Grammy winning blues musician, but unfortunately, this was not his most prominent claim to fame. Most Americans know who Ike Turner was mostly because, for a short while,magazines in little baskets next to tv stands all across the country boasted headlines that screamed about the abuse he heaped on his then-wife, singer Tina Turner. He died of a cocaine overdose and was creamated. The location of his ashes appears to be a family secret.

Wesley Joseph Berggren, guitarist and keyboardist for the Dallas based rock band “Tripping Daisy”, died of a heavy drug overdose, and we aren’t talking generic Phentermine here. Autopsy revealed that death was caused by a combination of cocaine and a handful of prescription drugs. Typical of the “flash in the pan” rock musicians that burn themselves out, fans who DO remember him can’t even visit his grave to pay their respects… he was creamated, and the location of his ashes is unknown.

Tom “Colonel Tom” Parker, manager of the great Elvis Presley, was originally from the Netherlands, not arriving in the US until he was eighteen years old. In the time between his arrival and when he became Elvis’ manager, he served in the army, joined (and left) a circus, was a dog catcher, and ran a pet cemetery.Although the star he was most know for managing was The King, he also worked with several other very famous people, Eddie Arnold, Minnie Pearl, and Hank Snow, to name a few. Though some say he exploited Elvis, there are others that credit him with the star’s success, and with trying hard to keep him off the diet pills and other drugs that may have been a contributing factor in the singer’s untimely death. At the time of Colonel Parker’s death his remains were creamated, and we do not know where the ashes were placed.

River Jude Phoenix (the “Jude” was a tribute to the Beatles’ popular song) was born to rather nontraditional parents. His last name (and that of the rest of his family) was originally “Bottom”, but his parents had it changed. He is best remembered for playing the young Indiana Jones part in the third movie in that series, but is also well remembered for his role in “Stand By Me”. While visiting Johhny Depp’s rather notorious nightclub, he passed out from an overdose of drugs, and died before anyone could do anything. He was creamated, and his ashes were scattered on his family’s ranch in Florida.

James Montgomery Doohan, an actor best remembered for playing “Scotty” on the popular television series “Star Trek”, created the name for that character (Montgomery Scott) by using parts of his own. The series became a cult classic, though it originally ran for only three seasons. He appeared as “Scotty” in an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” as well, and, in the animated series, most of the voices heard were actually his. His famous accent, by the way, was a complete fake. The accent, however, was so familiar that he actually had trouble getting other acting jobs because the directors didn’t want the accent in their productions. James Montgomery Doohanwas creamated, and most of his ashes were given to either family or friends. However, one quarter ouce of his ashes were actually launched into orbit around the Earth.

Albert Einstein needs almost no introduction. As one of the most noted physicists that ever lived, his name is practically a household word.He was born in Ulm, Germany, and spent his boyhood in Munich. His extreem interest in the sciences did not carry over to his other school subjects, and he was known as a rather mediocre student. Still, he did manage to graduate and go on to world fame. Albert Einstein was creamated, and his ashes scattered in a location that was never disclosed.

Harley Earl was a serious heavy weight in the automotive industry. Even if none of his other achievements were noticed, he will always be remembered… he designed the very first Corvette! Among his other designing credits are the 1927 LaSalle, 1957 Chevy Bel Air, and the first tail fins. With credits like that, kind of makes you wonder what he would think of the latest Chevy Tahoe accessories collection, doesn’t it? The automotive industry considers him to be the third most important man in it’s American history. Harley Earl was creamated, and his ashes scattered at sea near West Palm Beach, Florida.

Barbaro. At this point in history, even most people who don’t follow horse racing know the name because of his tragic end. His win at the Kentucky derby led many to speculate that he might very well be the next Triple Crown winner. No horse has taken the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978, and only 11 horses have ever accomplished the feat. His tragic accident during his run at the Preakness Stakes and his subsequent operations had the world holding it’s breath, and when he was eventually euthenized, it opened widespread speculation about the way thouroughbred horses are bred, for speed but possibly too delicate to withstand the pressures of the racing arena.

Barbaro was creamated, and his ashes given to his owner. There is no known burial spot.

This famed horse belonging to Roy Rogers was born in 1932 and died in 1965. Very little needs to be said about this famed horse, since there wasn’t a person in America who didn’t recognise him. Possibly there still isn’t. He is, however, one of our beloved unburied icons. At his death they had him STUFFED. Yep, stuffed and mounted. What a tribute, let me tell ya. Hope my husband doesn’t get any ideas. He can be seen in all his well preserved glory at the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum in Branson, Misouri. And, by the way, his real name was White Cloud.

St. Bernadette has long been a person of mystery and speculation. Howeer, one of the most interesting things about her was NOT included in any of the movie versions. Over the years, her body was exhumed and reburied many times. In spite of the dampness of the grave (rusted crucifix and damp habit attested to that) her body NEVER decayed. It remains today, as it did on the day of her death, perfectly preserved, as you can see from the photo.

St. Bernadette, the Saint of Lourdes, was judged by the Catholic church to have seen visions of and recieved instruction from the Virgin Mary. While we make no judgements on this, we would like to point out that St. Bernadette is only one of several Catholic saints whoe bodies have failed to decompose.She died on April 16, 1879.She is enshrined in chapel of the convent of Saint-Gildard on France.