Scott Michaels
Encyclopedia
Scott Michaels is the creator of Findadeath, a popular website with factual celebrity death stories, and also the founder of Dearly Departed Tours which specializes in celebrity death locations throughout the Los Angeles area. He's also co-written / produced two movies surrounding Hollywood death and scandal, and coined the term “Death Hag” which has been embraced by the community of people that are interested in the macabre. Because of his years research many consider him to be a historian of celebrity death and scandal. In 2002 he co-wrote the book Rocky Horror: From Concept to Cult which was about The Rocky Horror Show.
Eventually, he moved to Chicago where he started his first company, Dearly Departed, which focused on dead celebrity memorabilia. There one could find a T shirt or keychain decked out with a celebrity's tombstone. Michaels moved to Hollywood, CA where he got his first exposure to the tour industry by becoming a manager of Greg Smith's Grave Line Tours. He'd remain with Grave Line until the mid to late 90's when he moved to England for a 6 year relationship with Irish comedian talk show host, Graham Norton
.
It was shortly after his move to England that Princess Diana had her fatal car accident in Paris. Intrigued by all the media attention surrounding her death he made the trek to Paris to see the exact location of where the accident occurred. He also had his picture taken in the same spot and the idea for Findadeath came to be. A website dedicated to assembling the stories of peoples deaths, with photographs, so people who were unable to travel to these notorious places could do so in cyber-space.
Michaels returned to Hollywood, CA, and started Dearly Departed Tours - The Tragical History Tour. He recently finished his 2 year run as a guest on Leeza Gibbons
syndicated radio show Hollywood Confidential.
and Schlitze Surtees.
in 1975. The stage show received mixed reviews and wasn't in production for very long, however with the film release it became a cult classic filling theatres across the country. The book is a collection of interviews by the creators and actors, many of which had never been interviewed about their involvement before, providing the reader with stories of success, squabbles, and jealousies.
In addition to his book he's also written for Bizarre Magazine, and has been a contributing researcher and writer in several books including Weird Hollywood by Joe Oesterle, and Revolution - The Making of the Beatles' White Album.
, and the Menendez murders, the location of Janis Joplin
s' death, as well as, where Hugh Grant and George Michael were arrested. Additionally, Dearly Departed Tours now offers The Helter Skelter
Tour - visits the locations of interest involving the Tate/Labianca murders in 1969. There's also The Hollywood Movie Tour - which visits several movie locations, and the Nasty Nellie Tour, hosted by Alison Arngrim
, of Little House on the Prairie
.
Scott Michaels and Dearly Departed Tours have been mentioned on CNN (cited transcript from show), Anderson Cooper AC360 (cited transcript from show), and in the following publications: The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia), The Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times (front page), The book, "1000 Places to see in the USA and Canada Before You Die", and various others.
burned to death, or the apartment where Albert Dekker
committed suicide, as well as, several others. In 2009 The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter was released. It’s a documentary that chronicles the final days of the Tate and Labianca families who were brutally murdered by the Manson family. Several rarely seen locations like Spahn Ranch
, the ride through Death Valley
to Barker Ranch
, and the exact location where Charlie Manson was captured, were filmed in detail.
Biography
From an early age, Michaels was exposed to death by living near one of the most dangerous intersections in Detroit. This grew into a fascination with cemeteries and celebrity graves, celebrity lives and their deaths.Eventually, he moved to Chicago where he started his first company, Dearly Departed, which focused on dead celebrity memorabilia. There one could find a T shirt or keychain decked out with a celebrity's tombstone. Michaels moved to Hollywood, CA where he got his first exposure to the tour industry by becoming a manager of Greg Smith's Grave Line Tours. He'd remain with Grave Line until the mid to late 90's when he moved to England for a 6 year relationship with Irish comedian talk show host, Graham Norton
Graham Norton
Graham William Walker, known by his stage name Graham Norton , is an Irish actor, comedian, television presenter and columnist...
.
It was shortly after his move to England that Princess Diana had her fatal car accident in Paris. Intrigued by all the media attention surrounding her death he made the trek to Paris to see the exact location of where the accident occurred. He also had his picture taken in the same spot and the idea for Findadeath came to be. A website dedicated to assembling the stories of peoples deaths, with photographs, so people who were unable to travel to these notorious places could do so in cyber-space.
Michaels returned to Hollywood, CA, and started Dearly Departed Tours - The Tragical History Tour. He recently finished his 2 year run as a guest on Leeza Gibbons
Leeza Gibbons
Leeza Kim Gibbons is an American talk show host. Gibbons is the host of her own radio show, Hollywood Confidential, part of the United Stations radio syndication company.-Early life:...
syndicated radio show Hollywood Confidential.
Findadeath Website
It was in 1999 that the findadeath website first appeared on the internet. It's a large detailed directory of celebrity death stories, with photos, occasionally includes a copy of the death certificate/autopsy, and the mailbox of the celebrity, which has become a favorite and expected picture amongst death hags, which is what the loyal followers of findadeath refer to themselves as. Findadeath is about giving a factual account of the celebrity's last dying breath, with an occasional humorous comment or opinion of Michaels; it's not about blood and gore. Findadeath has stories on many of Hollywood's forgotten stars, several of which died penniless, and in some cases unable to afford a grave marker. It's these stories, written by Michaels, that have inspired Death Hags across the country to raise money to provide markers for such forgotten notables as: Willie BestWillie Best
William "Willie" Best sometimes known as Sleep n' Eat was an American television and film actor....
and Schlitze Surtees.
Books
Rocky Horror: From Concept to Cult is a book that was co-written by Michaels, and published in 2002 by Sanctuary Publishers. It chronicles the birth of the original Royal Court production of The Rocky Horror Show in 1973, to the film The Rocky Horror Picture ShowThe Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the 1975 film adaptation of the British rock musical stageplay, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O'Brien. The film is a parody of B-movie, science fiction and horror films of the late 1940s through early 1970s. Director Jim Sharman collaborated on the...
in 1975. The stage show received mixed reviews and wasn't in production for very long, however with the film release it became a cult classic filling theatres across the country. The book is a collection of interviews by the creators and actors, many of which had never been interviewed about their involvement before, providing the reader with stories of success, squabbles, and jealousies.
In addition to his book he's also written for Bizarre Magazine, and has been a contributing researcher and writer in several books including Weird Hollywood by Joe Oesterle, and Revolution - The Making of the Beatles' White Album.
Dearly Departed Tours
Michaels formed Dearly Departed Tours in 2004, with the "standard" The Tragical History Tour, 100 locations of death and scandal. Now one could witness for themselves such death or scandal locations that pertain to the Black DahliaBlack Dahlia
"The Black Dahlia" was a nickname given to Elizabeth Short is an American woman and the victim of a gruesome and much-publicized murder. She acquired the moniker posthumously by newspapers in the habit of nicknaming crimes they found particularly colorful...
, and the Menendez murders, the location of Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
s' death, as well as, where Hugh Grant and George Michael were arrested. Additionally, Dearly Departed Tours now offers The Helter Skelter
Helter Skelter (Manson scenario)
The murders perpetrated by members of Charles Manson's "Family" were inspired in part by Manson's prediction of Helter Skelter, an apocalyptic war he believed would arise from tension over racial relations between blacks and whites...
Tour - visits the locations of interest involving the Tate/Labianca murders in 1969. There's also The Hollywood Movie Tour - which visits several movie locations, and the Nasty Nellie Tour, hosted by Alison Arngrim
Alison Arngrim
Alison Margaret Arngrim is an American actress, stand-up comedian and author.Arngrim's father, Thor Arngrim, was a well-known Hollywood manager...
, of Little House on the Prairie
Little House on the Prairie
Little House is a series of children's books by Laura Ingalls Wilder that was published originally between 1932 and 1943, with four additional books published posthumously, in 1962, 1971, 1974 and 2006.-History:...
.
Scott Michaels and Dearly Departed Tours have been mentioned on CNN (cited transcript from show), Anderson Cooper AC360 (cited transcript from show), and in the following publications: The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia), The Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times (front page), The book, "1000 Places to see in the USA and Canada Before You Die", and various others.
Films
In 2006 Michaels released the first of two documentaries that were written and produced with Mike Dorsey of Tenacity Entertainment. The first being Dearly Departed Vol. 1 a visual tour of Hollywood death and scandal with the stories behind each one. A more concentrated Tragical History Tour - people get to see the inside of several locations such as the apartment where actor Jack CassidyJack Cassidy
John Joseph Edward “Jack” Cassidy was an American actor of stage, film and screen.His frequent professional persona was that of an urbane, super-confident egotist with a dramatic flair, much in the manner of Broadway actor Frank Fay...
burned to death, or the apartment where Albert Dekker
Albert Dekker
Albert Dekker was an American character actor and politician best known for his roles in Dr. Cyclops, The Killers, Kiss Me Deadly, and The Wild Bunch. He is sometimes credited as Albert Van Dekker or Albert van Dekker...
committed suicide, as well as, several others. In 2009 The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter was released. It’s a documentary that chronicles the final days of the Tate and Labianca families who were brutally murdered by the Manson family. Several rarely seen locations like Spahn Ranch
Spahn Ranch
Spahn Ranch, also known as the Spahn Movie Ranch, was a movie ranch used for filming generally Western-themed movies and television programs. With mountainous terrain, boulder-strewn scenery, and an 'old Western town' set, Spahn Ranch was a versatile filming site for many scripts...
, the ride through Death Valley
Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California. Situated within the Mojave Desert, it features the lowest, driest, and hottest locations in North America. Badwater, a basin located in Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below...
to Barker Ranch
Barker Ranch
Barker Ranch is infamous as the last hideout of Charles Manson and his "family" after the gruesome Los Angeles murder spree. It is located inside Death Valley National Park in eastern California....
, and the exact location where Charlie Manson was captured, were filmed in detail.