Hollywood, CA (December 22, 2004) – Controversial celebrity death and scandal expert Scott Michaels (FindADeath.com) will begin operating “Dearly Departed Tours” in Hollywood, Ca. on Saturday, January 1, 2005.
The 2.5-hour excursion will be hosted and narrated by Michaels aboard his 14-passenger Tomb Buggy van. It will feature nearly 80 famous and infamous locations relating to celebrity death and scandal in the Hollywood and Los Angeles areas.
“Owning and operating a tour tailored to the darker side of Hollywood history has been a long-time dream of mine, and is a natural evolution of the Death Hag cultural phenomenon created by my website, Find A Death. It is an honor to show people these notorious locations. Hell, its what I would want to see if I were visiting,” said Michaels.
Michaels, who has gained notoriety on the internet for his irreverent commentary on the final chapters of celebrity lives, is a former guide for the now deceased Grave Line Tours. He sees his new one-man operation as filling a niche, so to speak, in the Hollywood sight-seeing industry. “Celebrity death and scandal is of public interest, as evidenced by the amount of mainstream media attention it gets. What I do is bring people to the places where such news is made while offering my own unique take on the matter,” he said.
The tour encompasses decades of Tinseltown intrigue. Included are The Manson Family murder sites, the soon to be demolished Ambassador Hotel where Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated, the garage where James Dean picked up his Porsche the morning of his fatal accident and, what Michaels terms “the real Nightmare on Elm Street,” The Menendez Brothers homicide house.
Michaels will also point out sites of a different notorious nature. “There will be one restroom stop where you can drop your drawers and ‘reenact’ George Michael's (no relation) most scandalous moment, and all guests will receive a complimentary copy of his police report,” he explained.
Also included are the locations where stars took their final breaths, such as Frank Sinatra, Jean Harlow, River Phoenix, Will “Grandpa Walton” Geer, Albert Dekker, Bela Lugosi and Alan Hale, Jr., “The Skipper” from “Gilligan’s Island.” “And of course the chick that jumped off the Hollywood Sign in 1932,” added Michaels.
“Dearly Departed Tours” will run twice daily, Wednesday – Sunday, at 9:30am and 1:00pm from the corner of N. McCadden Place and Hollywood Boulevard, steps away from famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.
The cost is $35 per Live Body and reservations are strongly recommended, and gift certificates are also available: call (323) 466-3696 or email info@dearlydepartedtours.com. Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover are accepted.
Content is of an adult nature so parents should be cautioned about subject matter and possible language. “Not recommended for children who haven’t learned of outdoor sex,” Michaels noted.
For more information, visit www.dearlydepartedtours.com
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Updated release on PR Web available here.