www.findadeath.com

James Dean

Jimmy was born in Marion, Indiana, and raised by his Aunt and Uncle in a farmhouse  in the nearby city of Fairmount. He only made 3 films of note, and two of them were not even released at the time of his death. 

Findadeath.com friend Chad Jones donated these photographs of the old Villa Capri restaurant, located at 6735 Yucca.  This is where Dean supposedly ate his last supper, on the evening of September 29th.  He entered the restaurant from the left of the building.  This was also a famous Rat Pack hangout - and they even had a steak named after Sinatra.  These days the building houses KBBT FM, The Beat.  They have an original menu on a wall in there, from the building's restaurant days.

On September 30, 1955, Jimmy and his mechanic, Rolf Wutherich, were driving from Los Angeles to Salinas so Jimmy could race his new Porsche Spyder. They were heading westbound on Highway 466, just before the city of Cholame. 

During the drive, they stopped and ate a meal at Tip's Diner, and about 45 minutes before Jimmy met his maker, they stopped for a bag of apples.

Near Cholame, local 23 year old Donald Turnupseed was heading home from the opposite direction in his 1950 Ford Tudor. Donald made a left turn at the intersection of Highways 41 and 466. He didn't see them. Here's the intersection then and now. The Spyder broad sided the Ford. Jimmy's car landed near a phone pole, 15 feet off the road. Rolf was thrown from the car. He lived. Turnupseed suffered minor injuries. 

Just a correction to your info on James Dean.
In 1955 the road he was killed on was 466, it was changed to 46 a few 
years  after he died.
Keep up the good work.

Angelina Mancuso
Thanks Angelina!

Jimmy's body was raced to via ambulance to Paso Robles War Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. He was 24 years old.

Jimmy's body was taken to Kuehl's Funeral Home, in Paso Robles, where he was made presentable. The left side of his face would be set in the soft cushions of the casket, and so hidden. The relatively undamaged right side would be displayed. A black hearse took Jimmy down Highway 101 to Los Angeles International Airport, to be flown back home. He was laid out at Vernon Hunt's funeral home.

His funeral took place at the Back Creek Friends Church at 2:00pm, on Saturday October the 8^th. Liz Taylor sent flowers.

Jimmy is buried in Fairmount's Park Cemetery. His tombstone was stolen for the third time in July of 1998.   

Findadeath.com friend Ernestine Burgess kindly donated this photograph of when the stone was stolen.  It was located in September of 1998 - by a deputy that ran over it.  Ouch.  Thanks so much Ernie!

Donald Turnupseed died in 1995 of lung cancer.  Could you imagine living that long, with killing James Dean on your conscience?  No thank you.

Rolf Wutherich was killed in a traffic accident in 1981.

This just in, March 2003, from Findadeath friend Cindy Phelps:

Hi Scott,

Love your site, I check it all the time.  FYI, James Dean was killed on Hwy 46 (not 466).  Went by the place twice in the last month.  It’s a terrible highway.  Probably was much worse way back then.

Take care.

And if you ever need any help in my neck of the woods....

- Cindy (Monterey Bay area, California)

Thanks, Cindy!