Afterlives of the Rich and Famous (16 page)

Sammy also continued his career as a solo act, becoming a superstar in Las Vegas in the late 1950s at a time when hotels were still segregated. Black performers were welcome onstage, but they had no dressing rooms, they were banned from the casinos and restaurants, and they were certainly not allowed to stay at the venues where they were headlining, usually being shipped off to boarding houses away from the Strip. Once Sammy had achieved true star status, he began refusing to perform at segregated establishments and was instrumental in integrating hotels, casinos, and nightclubs across the country.

He caused even more controversy when, in 1960, he married the Swedish actress May Britt, at a time when interracial marriages were illegal in thirty-one states; even while he was busy winning a Tony nomination for his brilliant performance in Broadway’s
Golden Boy
in
1964
, he was receiving hate mail for marrying a white woman. The couple had a daughter together and adopted two sons. In the meantime, Sammy’s career was in full force. Between recording sessions, live performances from Miami to Las Vegas, shooting his own television specials, and appearing with the Rat Pack, by his own admission he was an absentee husband and father, and the marriage ended in divorce in
1968
. Two years later he married dancer Altovise Gore, whom he met during the run of
Golden Boy,
and their marriage lasted for the rest of his life.

His film career continued to thrive in the 1960s, with
A Man Called Adam
and
Sweet Charity
rounding out his roles with the Rat Pack, and he enjoyed television success with
The Sammy Davis Jr. Show
and
The Swinging World of Sammy Davis Jr.
Sadly, both his physical and financial health were pushed to their limits by the seemingly nonstop drinking, partying, and heavy spending that defined the general Rat Pack lifestyle. By the early
1970
s, despite earning more than $
1
million a year, he was nearly bankrupt and began developing liver and kidney problems. He never slowed down, seemingly couldn’t stand still, and continued his Las Vegas appearances, recording his surprise hit “Candy Man,” guest-starring on a variety of TV series and specials, and returning to Broadway in
1978
to star in the musical
Stop the World—I Want to Get Off
. He took time out for reconstructive hip surgery in
1985
and managed to recover in time to costar with fellow dancer Gregory Hines in the film
Tap
.

Shortly after
Tap
was completed, Sammy announced that he had finally beaten long-rumored addictions to cocaine and alcohol, and he seemed reenergized when, in
1988
, he launched a concert tour with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. When Dean fell ill and was unable to complete the tour, Liza Minnelli took Dean’s place, and Sinatra, Davis, and Minnelli performed for sold-out crowds throughout the United States and Europe through the beginning of
1989
.

In August 1989 doctors found a tumor in Sammy’s throat. He immediately underwent a series of grueling treatments, and for a short time his prognosis was optimistic. By the end of the year, though, his cancer had returned, and on May 16, 1990, Sammy Davis Jr. died at the age of sixty-four, leaving behind a legendary career and a world that was less divided by race than it was when he entered it.

From Francine

Sammy’s father, his “Uncle” Will, and a very thin older black woman named Ella were among the throngs that gathered to welcome Sammy when he returned to the Other Side, and he immediately swept Ella into his arms and danced with her, so elated to find himself free of the painful, debilitated body he describes as having “used up” during his latest incarnation.
(Sammy’s mother had already incarnated again by the time he came Home.)
Ella and Sammy’s Spirit Guide, Aaron, accompanied him to the doors of the Hall of Wisdom and then left him alone for his time at the Scanning Machine, from which he walked away disheartened—as proud as he was of his massive talent, his work ethic, the loyalty he showed to his closest friends, and above all the giant strides he made toward making the world as color-blind as he was, he was deeply disturbed by the self-indulgence with which he chose to live his life offstage.
By his own description, “When you stay as busy as I did and party hard enough, you get to avoid thinking about consequences.”

But as he watched his lifetime unfold, he saw exactly how inevitable the consequences were, whether he thought about them at the time or not, from his occasional deep depressions to his financial struggles to the abuse of his body and the toll it took.
For many reasons, he’s decided to incarnate again, in or around
2016
by your years.
He wants to experience a lifetime in which he invests his energy in discipline, anonymity, and restraint.
He intends to choose the same life themes he chose for this last incarnation—Caretaker and Catalyst—but he’ll direct them toward the medical community next time, with a focus on pediatrics.

An interesting incident occurred when actor Richard Harris arrived on the Other Side.
Sammy made a point of being among the first to greet him, and Richard seemed quite moved and relieved.
From what I understand, it had something to do with a medallion of some kind that Sammy gave to Richard, but that Richard returned with a harsh note when the infamous photograph of Sammy embracing Richard Nixon was published.
Sammy, with no explanation, never spoke to Richard again.
And Richard, who was drinking heavily at the time he returned the medallion, had no memory of having returned it and never understood why Sammy had stopped speaking to him.
They’re close friends here, and Sammy observed that the lesson is, “Communicate!
If I’d simply told him he’d offended me, we could have talked it through and enjoyed all those years together, instead of wasting them in my silent resentment of what turned out to be just a foolish drunken impulse.”

Sammy’s life here is blissfully active.
He continues to be as popular a performer as he was on earth, often appearing onstage with Michael Jackson, to whom he’s very close, and with Dean Martin, who was his brother in two past incarnations and whom he joyfully greeted when Dean came Home.
In anticipation of his next incarnation he’s also a devoted researcher on the subjects of cystic fibrosis and childhood autism.

He visits his biological and adopted children, “making up for lost time,” as he says, and he calls himself “a regular” in the clubs on Bourbon Street, particularly the Jazz Preservation Hall.
And he can often be found in his favorite synagogue, offering silent prayers of thanks and celebration for all he’s been given and all he has left to give.

Madalyn Murray O’Hair

M
adalyn Murray O’Hair proudly wore and encouraged the title of the “most hated woman in America,” and her death was, in many ways, as shocking as the life she lived. An avowed atheist, she was born Madalyn Mays on April 13, 1919, in Pittsburgh. Her Presbyterian parents, John and Lena Mays, had her baptized into their faith when she was an infant. After graduating from high school in Rossford, Ohio, where the financially struggling family had moved to live with Lena’s brother, she married steelworker John Henry Roths in 1941, but they separated when they both enlisted to serve in World War II. He joined the Marine Corps, while she joined the Women’s Army Corps and was assigned to a position in Italy, where, in 1945, she began an affair with William J. Murray Jr. Murray was an army officer. He was also a married Catholic, and although his religion prevented him from divorcing his wife, he and Madalyn conceived a child. She divorced John Roths, adopted the name Madalyn Murray, and gave birth to a son whom she named William J. Murray after his biological father.

After her military service ended, she returned to the United States with her child, graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Ohio’s Ashland University, and received a law degree from South Texas College of Law in
1952
, but she failed the bar exam and never practiced law. Instead, she was hired by an airplane manufacturing plant, where she met and had an affair with Michael Fiorillo, a fellow employee, whom she never married, but their son, Jon Garth Murray, was born on November
16, 1954
.

Madalyn joined the Socialist Labor Party in 1956, savoring her role as a relentlessly outspoken activist at marches and protests. This affiliation led her to take her two young sons to Europe with the intention of gaining citizenship in the Soviet Union. Her request was denied, and in 1960 she and her children returned to the United States, settling in Baltimore.

It was in 1960 that Madalyn Murray, now an avowed atheist, took great exception to the fact that her son Bill was being “subjected to” Bible readings at school, declaring it unconstitutional and filing suit against the Baltimore Public School System. After a long, complicated series of court rulings, Madalyn, armed with her considerable IQ and law degree and enjoying the spotlight at the top of her lungs, managed to propel her lawsuit all the way to the Supreme Court, which, in 1963, voted 8–1 in her favor, effectively ending prayer and Bible reading in American schools. The decision gained a lot of national media attention and outrage, and Madalyn’s sons and other family members became flashpoints for that anger while she reveled in her newfound notoriety.

Her highly publicized success with the Supreme Court inspired her to participate in a variety of other “separation of church and state” causes, from an unsuccessful effort to challenge the tax-exempt status of churches to an equally unsuccessful lawsuit against NASA to declare it unconstitutional for American astronauts to broadcast prayers and Bible readings from space. Before long she managed to alienate not only much of the country, but also one of her own sons. Bill, a born-again Christian and preacher, eventually broke all ties with her and his half brother, Jon, who’d become one of her most ardent followers.

In 1965 Madalyn Murray married a Marine named Richard O’Hair, who presided over a pro–free thought, pro-atheist organization called the Society of Separationists. She took charge of the organization after his death in 1978. In the meantime, she founded the American Atheist Center and the American Atheist Press in Austin, Texas, both of which were created for the purpose of uniting practicing atheists and providing them with reliable information with which to support their beliefs. Before long her profane, controversial, combative persona was recognized by the entertainment media for, if nothing else, its guaranteed ability to draw attention and ratings, and she was soon giving interviews to
Playboy
magazine and appearing on national talk shows. She lectured at Dartmouth, Harvard, and UCLA and even became
Hustler
magazine founder Larry Flynt’s “chief speechwriter” in his resoundingly unsuccessful presidential campaign in
1984
. She also produced and hosted her own syndicated radio and television shows promoting atheism.

In 1986 Madalyn decided to retire and handed over the reins of the Society of Separationists and the multimillion-dollar American Atheists offices to her son Jon. Jon was not a popular leader, and many chapters began seceding from the Austin headquarters. Remaining local and state chapters were abandoned in 1991.

In the meantime, Madalyn had long since adopted her granddaughter Robin, William’s daughter, and Madalyn, Jon, and Robin had become literally inseparable. They lived together, they worked together, they vacationed together, and, thanks to Madalyn’s fiercely territorial control over Jon’s and Robin’s lives, neither of them ever dated or strayed far from Madalyn’s side.

On August 27, 1995, the three of them suddenly and mysteriously vanished. A half-eaten meal was found on the dining table. Imperative medications were left throughout the house. The family’s much adored dogs were abandoned with no arrangements made to care for them. A note was left on the locked office door of the American Atheists headquarters stating that the family had been called out of town on an emergency and had no idea how long they’d be gone. A handful of phone calls from Madalyn, Jon, and Robin over the next month only added to the mystery. They claimed that they were in San Antonio on business. Jon ordered $600,000 worth of gold coins from a San Antonio jeweler, but only collected $500,000 worth before disappearing again. Both Jon and Robin called various friends to claim that nothing was wrong, although they offered no explanation for their absence, and they reportedly sounded disturbed, stressed, and exhausted. The last communication from the Murray O’Hairs came on September 28, 1995.

An investigation finally focused on a convicted felon named David Waters, whom Madalyn had hired to work for American Atheists. In 1995 he pleaded guilty to the theft of $54,000 from the organization, and Madalyn wrote an article in her newsletter giving his lengthy rap sheet, which included a vicious assault on his own mother. The article reportedly enraged him, and law enforcement began pursuing a belief that Waters and an accomplice named Danny
Fry had kidnapped, extorted money from, and then murdered Mada
lyn, Jon, and Robin.

That belief became fact when, in January 2001, David Waters, as a result of a plea deal, led police to a Texas ranch where the severed remains of the three Murray O’Hairs were buried. Waters was convicted of kidnapping, robbery, and murder and died in prison on January 27, 2003.