“She didn’t like death” – Doris Day had no funeral, no memorial and no grave after she died

In 2019, Doris Day sadly passed away at her home in Carmel Valley, California. She died after contracting pneumonia and her death was announced by her charity, the Doris Day Animal Foundation which added that as per the star’s request there would be no funeral services, grave marker, or other public memorials.

Instead, she was cremated and had her ashes scattered.

According to her close friend and manager Bob Bashara, she didn’t want to discuss the prospect of a funeral because she struggled with death.

And there was a genuine reason for her final wishes.

“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.”

From the early 70s Day was an avid campaigner for animal rights denouncing the wearing of fur and setting up the Doris Day Animal Foundation.

In 2020 she auctioned more than 1,000 of her possessions raising $3 million for the cause and even helped to set up a Horse Rescue and Adoption Center, which helps abused and neglected horses, in Texas.

Day was brought up Catholic and was a practicing Christian Scientist after marrying producer Martin Melcher.

Her only child Terrence “Terry” Paul Jorden was born during her first marriage to trombonist Al Jorden who she met when she was 16. Jorden later changed his name to Terrence Paul Melcher when he was adopted by Day’s third husband film producer Martin Melcher.