It has been two years since we lost legendary actress and singer Doris Day, who died at the age of 97 after becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest stars during the Golden Age.
Between 1947 and 1967, she released more than 650 songs and received numerous awards for her contributions to music and film, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The beloved actress and singer died in 2019, but a close friend recently revealed that she did not want a funeral, memorial, or grave marker.
But why is that? Let us investigate.
Doris Day is beloved for many reasons, including her talent, love of animals, and humility.
Doris was well-liked and respected for her film work throughout her 50-year career. She rose to prominence after appearing in films such as Pillow Talk, Love Me or Leave Me, and The Man Who Knew Too Much.
The 97-year-old had four marriages but only one child. Terry Mulcher, Day’s son from her first marriage to Al Jorden, died of melanoma in 2004.
Day was a well-known animal rights activist in addition to her success on the big screen. She was a very compassionate person who fought for animals who couldn’t speak for themselves.
Doris was a Grammy-winning singer as well.
Sentimental Journey, Secret Love, and Que Sera Sera were all inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and her work with animals resulted in the establishment of the Doris Day Animal Foundation.
Doris Day died in 2019 at her home in Carmel Valley, California. Her death was announced by her charity, the Doris Day Animal Foundation, who added that at the star’s request, there would be no funeral services, grave markers, or other public memorials.
She was cremated instead, and her ashes were scattered.
She refused to discuss the possibility of a funeral, according to her close friend and manager Bob Bashara, because she struggled with death.
And her final wishes had a genuine reason.
“She didn’t like death, and she couldn’t be with her animals if they had to be put down. She had difficulty accepting death,” he said in a 2019 interview with People.
“I’d say we need to provide for her dogs [after she died], and she’d say, ‘I don’t want to think about it’ and she said, ‘Well, you just take care of them,’” recalls Bashara.
“She had several when her will was written, and she wanted to be sure they were taken care of. She didn’t like to talk about the dogs dying.”
Day was an outspoken advocate for animal rights beginning in the early 1970s, condemning the wearing of fur and establishing the Doris Day Animal Foundation.
In 2020, she auctioned off over 1,000 of her possessions, raising $3 million for the cause. She also assisted in the establishment of a Horse Rescue and Adoption Center in Texas, which helps abused and neglected horses.
Day was raised Catholic and became a Christian Scientist after marrying producer Martin Melcher.
Terrence “Terry” Paul Jorden, her only child, was born during her first marriage to trombonist Al Jorden, whom she met when she was 16 years old. When Jorden was adopted by Day’s third husband, film producer Martin Melcher, he changed his name to Terrence Paul Melcher.
After Melcher died in 1968, Day “drifted away” from organized religion, according to Bashara, but remained “a spiritual person.”
“She believed in God, and she thought her voice was God-given,” he says. “She would say, ‘God gave me a voice, and I just used it.’”
Day left acting in the early 1970s but returned for two TV shows. Then, in 1985, she hosted her own television talk show, “Doris Day’s Best Friends,” for a year on the Christian Broadcasting Network.
Bashara, her friend and manager, is unsure why Day was hesitant to have a funeral but explains, “I think it was because she was a very shy person.”
