27 famous people you might not have known were buried in Michigan

By Metro Times editorial staff on Fri, Oct 22, 2021 at 2:51 pm

From pint-sized comedy actors to female serial killers, suicide doctors, and the Queen of Soul, Michigan is the final resting place of many well-known American entertainers, business leaders, activists, and even a victim of the infamous Charles Manson cult.

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Dick York

Famous for his role as Darrin Stephens in the television series Bewitched, Dick York also appeared in Father Knows Best, The Twilight Zone, and The Flintstones. York lived in Rockford following his retirement. After his death in 1992, York was buried in Kent County at the Plainfield Cemetery in Rockford.

Photo via McDermott Company / Wikimedia Commons

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David Ruffin

Known as one of the lead singers of The Temptations, David Ruffin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. As frontman for The Temptations, Ruffin’s voice can be heard on numerous hits, including “My Girl,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” and “It’s Growing.” Following his death in 1991, Ruffin was buried in Detroit’s Woodlawn Cemetery.

Photo via Motown Records / Wikimedia Commons

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Levi Stubbs

Known for his role as the lead singer of the Four Tops, Levi Stubbs contributed to Detroit’s Motown legacy with songs such as “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch),” “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” and “Bernadette.” Following his death in 2008, Stubbs was buried in Detroit’s Woodlawn Cemetery.

Photo via Billboard / Wikimedia Commons

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Proof

DeShaun Dupree Holton, known professionally as Proof, was a founding member of rap group D12 with Eminem. Proof released a number of hits, including “Kurt Kobain,” “Trapped,” and “Oil Can Harry.” He also appeared in the 2002 film 8 Mile as Lil’Tic. Proof, who was killed in 2006 at age 32, is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit.

Photo via screengrab / YouTube

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Jack Kevorkian

Best known as a proponent of voluntary euthanasia, Jack Kevorkian graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1952. He was convicted of second-degree murder in 1998 for his role facilitating physician-assisted suicides. Kevorkian was also a jazz musician and composer. Following his death in 2011, he was buried in White Chapel Memorial Park Cemetery in Troy. Photo via s_bukley / Shutterstock

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Aretha Franklin

The Queen of Soul is remembered for hits such as “Chain of Fools,” “Respect,” and “I Say a Little Prayer,” as well as her civil rights activism and advocacy for the rights of Indigenous and First Nation communities. Franklin began her career singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit. Over the course of her career, she was awarded 18 Grammy Awards as well as a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. Following her death in 2018, Franklin was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit.

Photo via Jstone / Shutterstock

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John Conyers

A Highland Park native, John Conyers would eventually become the longest serving African-American congressman.

For over 50 years, Conyers served as a voice on Capitol Hill, first taking his seat in 1965 with the support of many including Rosa Parks, who would go on to work for Conyers for 20 years. He was one of the founders of the Congressional Black Caucus alongside Shirley Chisolm, William Clay, Sr. and ten other Black politicians.

In 2017, Conyers resigned after reports surfaced that the congressman settled a sexual harassment lawsuit with a staffer.

Conyers died in 2019 at the age of 90. He is interred at Detroit Memorial Park East in Warren.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

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Gerald R. Ford

Gerald Ford’s presidency was surrounded by scandal — but not that of his own.

Raised in Grand Rapids, Ford began his political career in 1945 in the Michigan House of Representatives. In 1973, then-Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned the role due to an ongoing tax evasion investigation, Ford was selected by President Nixon as Agnew’s replacement. Less than one year later, President Nixon would resign due to the Watergate scandal, moving Ford to serve as President of the United States.

Ford passed away in 2006 and is interred at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential museum in Grand Rapids.

Photo via David Hume Kennerly/Wikimedia Commons

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