Actress Doris Day was born Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff on April 3, 1922 in Cincinnati, Ohio. For most of her life, Day stated that she was born in 1924, but on the occasion of her 95th birthday, the Associated Press found her birth certificate that showed a 1922 year of birth. Doris developed an early interest in dance, and in the mid-1930s formed a dance duo with Jerry Doherty that performed in nationwide competitions. On October 13, 1937, while Day was riding with friends, their car collided with a freight train, and she broke her right leg, curtailing her hopes of being a professional dancer. While recovering from the accident, she sang along with the radio and discovered her talent for singing. Her mother decided to sign her up for singing lessons, and the rest, as they say, is history. Doris Day died of pneumonia at her home in Carmel Valley, Calif., on May 13, 2019 at the age of 97. The legendary Hollywood star made her wishes clear in her will: “No funeral, no memorial, and no grave marker.” Her manager and close friend Bob Bashara said that Day didn’t like talking about death and couldn’t be with her animals if they had to be put down. He said when they would have discussions about what would happen to her animals after her death, she didn’t like to talk about it and told him, “Well, you just take care of them.” Bashara says he remains unsure as to why Day was reticent about having a funeral, but explains, “I think it was because she was a very shy person.” Day’s estate was donated to charity, according to instructions listed in her will. It was her ultimate goal to keep the Doris Day Animal Foundation, which she created in 1978, going long after her death.
