After becoming one of the biggest performers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, Doris Day, a legendary actress and singer, died two years ago at the age of 97.
She published almost 650 songs between 1947 and 1967, starred in nearly 30 films, and won several honors for her contributions to music and film, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The beloved singer and actress passed away in 2019, but a close friend just disclosed that she had no desire for a grave marking, funeral, or memorial service.
However, why? Let’s investigate.
Doris Day’s skill, her affection for animals, and her humility are just a few of the many reasons to like her.
Throughout her 50-year career, Doris was beloved and respected for her work in movies. She gained notoriety after appearing in films including The Man Who Knew Too Much, Love Me or Leave Me, and Pillow Talk.
Despite being married four times, the 97-year-old only had one child. Day’s son by his first husband, Al Jorden, Terry Mulcher, passed away from melanoma in 2004.
In addition to becoming well-known on the big screen, Day was a well-known animal rights advocate. She advocated for animals without a voice and was a really kind person.
Doris was a Grammy-winning vocalist as well.
The Doris Day Animal Foundation was established as a result of her work with animals, and her compositions “Sentimental Journey,” “Secret Love,” and “Que Sera Sera” were all entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Doris Day tragically died at her Carmel Valley, California, home in 2019. Her charity, Doris Day Animal Foundation, announced her passing after she had pneumonia. The foundation also stated that, per the star’s request, there will not be any public memorials, grave markers, or funeral ceremonies.
Rather, she was cremated, and her ashes were dispersed.
Bob Bashara, her manager and close friend, claims that she grappled with mortality and didn’t want to talk about the possibility of a funeral.
And she had a good motive for making her last desires.
She disliked dying, and if her animals had to be put down, she couldn’t be with them. He stated in a 2019 interview with People that she struggled to accept death.
She would respond, “I don’t want to think about it,” and she would respond, “Well, you just take care of them,” Bashara recalls. “I’d say we need to provide for her dogs [after she died],” she says.
When writing her will, she wanted to make sure that her many children were taken care of. She disliked discussing the dogs’ deaths.
Day was a fervent animal rights advocate who founded the Doris Day Animal Foundation and condemned the wearing of fur in the early 1970s.
She raised $3 million for the cause in 2020 by auctioning off over 1,000 of her belongings, and she even assisted in the establishment of a Texas Horse Rescue and Adoption Center that aids abandoned and neglected horses.
Day was raised Catholic and, after marrying producer Martin Melcher, became a committed Christian Scientist.
During her first marriage to trombonist Al Jorden, whom she met when she was sixteen, she gave birth to her only child, Terrence “Terry” Paul Jorden. After being adopted by Day’s third husband, film director Martin Melcher, Jorden subsequently changed his name to Terrence Paul Melcher.
Bashara told People that although Day “drifted away” from organized religion following Melcher’s death in 1968, he was still “a spiritual person.”
He claims that she believed in God and considered her voice to be a gift from God. “God gave me a voice, and I just used it,” she would explain.
Day made a comeback for two TV series after retiring from acting in the early 1970s. Then, in 1985, she hosted “Doris Day’s Best Friends,” a one-year chat show on the Christian Broadcasting Network.
Bashara, her manager and friend, says he’s still not sure why Day didn’t want a funeral but says, “I think it was because she was a very shy person.”
According to him, Day never understood why so many people adored her, even though she knew from the letters she got that her followers loved her.
“She never allowed her fame to change who she was and what she was, and she was always the Cincinnati kid with the incredible talent who went out in the world and did what she loved in spite of herself,” he says.
Her ashes were dispersed when she was cremated.
A charity received her estate.
Everybody must accept death in their own way, and everyone’s desires must be honored.
We shall always cherish and remember this great singer and actress. Peace be with you, Doris Day. Share, please.
