Mickey Rooney's family buries hatchet in funeral row
AFP
LOS ANGELES- Rival factions of Mickey Rooney's family struck a legal deal on Friday to resolve an unseemly row which had threatened to cloud funeral arrangements for the Hollywood legend.
They went to court after disputes involving Rooney's estranged wife, some of his children and the conservator of his Estate flared up following the late actor's death on Sunday, aged 93.
Rooney's eighth wife, Jan Chamberlin, had allegedly tried to move Rooney's corpse and wanted to organize his funeral at a cemetery plot purchased years earlier, next to a space for her.
But lawyers for Rooney's court-appointed conservator, Michael Augustine, said the actor had decided to separate from her and would not have wanted to be buried beside her.
Under Friday's agreement, approved by a judge, the funeral will take place at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where stars including Cecil B DeMille, Jayne Mansfield and Rudolf Valentino are buried.
His wife and most of his children will be allowed to attend.
"Despite her strong desire to be buried next to her husband, Jan feels she owes it to Mickey's fans to work with Mike to allow Mickey to be buried alongside of other members of Hollywood royalty," said a joint statement by Rooney's wife and the conservator.
Rooney rose to fame alongside Judy Garland as the plucky diminutive lad -- he was 1.6 meters tall -- in the "Andy Hardy" movies of the late 1930s and early 1940s.
He also had notable turns as Puck in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1935) and in "National Velvet" (1944), opposite Elizabeth Taylor, then 13.
More recently the still energetic Rooney appeared in the 2006 comedy "Night at the Museum," and in the 2011 movie "The Muppets."
A four-time Oscar nominee, Rooney was awarded an honorary Academy Award in 1982 for lifetime achievement.
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But lawyers for Rooney's court-appointed conservator, Michael Augustine, said the actor had decided to separate from her and would not have wanted to be buried beside her.
Under Friday's agreement, approved by a judge, the funeral will take place at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where stars including Cecil B DeMille, Jayne Mansfield and Rudolf Valentino are buried.
His wife and most of his children will be allowed to attend.
"Despite her strong desire to be buried next to her husband, Jan feels she owes it to Mickey's fans to work with Mike to allow Mickey to be buried alongside of other members of Hollywood royalty," said a joint statement by Rooney's wife and the conservator.
Rooney rose to fame alongside Judy Garland as the plucky diminutive lad -- he was 1.6 meters tall -- in the "Andy Hardy" movies of the late 1930s and early 1940s.
He also had notable turns as Puck in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1935) and in "National Velvet" (1944), opposite Elizabeth Taylor, then 13.
More recently the still energetic Rooney appeared in the 2006 comedy "Night at the Museum," and in the 2011 movie "The Muppets."
A four-time Oscar nominee, Rooney was awarded an honorary Academy Award in 1982 for lifetime achievement.
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