Nearly departed: Celebrities, icons buried in Las Vegas

Congratulations! If you are reading this, you woke up on the correct side of the lawn.

But as Jim Morrison of The Doors once sang (and proved nearly 50 years ago in Paris), “No One Here Gets Out Alive.”

Some of the famous, infamous and notorious who have departed have Las Vegas as their final resting place. Here are some of them, listed in chronological exit order:

Sonny Liston (circa 1930-1970)

Heavyweight champion in the early 1960s who lost two title bouts to Muhammad Ali, including the infamous 1965 “Phantom Punch” in the bout moved to Lewiston, Maine. At Davis Memorial Park

Jay Sarno (1922-1984)

Developed Caesars Palace and Circus Circus, which remain Las Vegas Strip mainstays. At Palm Eastern Cemetery

Moe Dalitz (1899-1989)

Where else can you be remembered fondly as a mobster and philanthropist? Las Vegas, of course. He backed the Desert Inn, Stardust, Sunrise Hospital and the Las Vegas Convention Center. At Palm Eastern Cemetery

Benny Binion (1904-1989)

A criminal history in Texas — including a conviction of murder — stops some people. But not Benny Binion, who came to Las Vegas and founded Binion’s Horseshoe in downtown. He treated gamblers of all ranges with the same hospitality. At Bunkers Eden Vale Memorial Park

Redd Foxx (1922-1991)

Before his five-year run on “Sanford and Son,” the comedian was a headliner in Las Vegas, known for rather raunchy performances. At Palm Eastern Cemetery

Pancho Gonzales (1928-1995)

Dominant tennis player during the 1950s, he was was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame at Newport, Rhode Island, in 1968. At Palm Eastern Cemetery

Stu Ungar (1953-1998)

Nicknamed “The Kid,” Ungar was the first to win the World Series of Poker Main Event three times. At Palm Eastern Cemetery

Bo Belinsky (1936-2001)

More famous for his off-field exploits than on-field performance, Belinsky threw the first no-hitter in Los Angeles Angels’ history on May 5, 1962, blanking the Baltimore Orioles 2–0. At Davis Memorial Park

Mary Kaye (1924-2007)

Renowned guitarist and performer, the Mary Kaye Trio’s lounge act at the Last Frontier is credited with popularizing Las Vegas in the 1950s. At Palm Northwest Cemetery

Tony Curtis (1925-2010)

The longtime actor had perhaps his two best performances released in the same year: 1959’s “Some Like It Hot” and “Operation Petticoat.” At Palm Eastern Cemetery

Steve Rossi (1932-2014)

Longtime comedy partner of Marty Allen who made dozens of appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” including one with the Beatles. At Palm Eastern Cemetery

Richard “Old Man” Harrison (1941-2018)

Patriarch of the “Pawn Stars” show, Harrison also served in the U.S. Navy for about 20 years. He reached the rank of petty officer, first class. At Palm Northwest Cemetery

Special mentions

Col. Tom Parker (1909-1997)

The longtime manager of Elvis Presley, Parker was reportedly cremated at Palm Desert Memorial, but the location of his remains are unknown.

Danny Gans (1956-2009)

A former minor-league baseball player, he became “The Man of Many Voices” at several Las Vegas Strip hotels. Originally buried in Palm Eastern Cemetery, his cremated remains were moved to Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, in 2013.

Contact Tony Garcia at tgarcia@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307. Follow @TonyGLVNews on Twitter.