The Smiley Smile Message Board

I have always wondered about how Dennis's burial was handled. Was his body "buried" in a casket? Or was his body bound together by blankets and tape? My big question is, was the exact location sealed off from the public? I mean, you can't just jump into the water and find him there, right?

http://www.findadeath.com/Deceased/w/Dennis%20Wilson/buried%20at%20sea.JPG

Well, he's probably drifted away since.

Whoa.  I always thought he was cremated, and his ashes were put in the water at sea.  I didn't realize they just dumped him off.

So they just dumped him there, with nothing to weigh him down? I thought somebody would have placed boulders or something around the body.

I hate to say this but the body probably was destroyed fairly quickly.

“33-53.9° N/118-38.8° W.” is also the title of a song by a band called DeLorean.

I remember reading somewhere that the burial at sea was Shawn's idea and that not everybody was too happy with the thought of basically feeding Dennis to the sharks... Sorry for that unpleasant image...

It would have been a standard burial at sea (except for the fact that then-President Regan granted a dispensation for it to happen - normally civilians can't be buried thusly): that is, in a weighted body bag. And yes, given the natural cycle of sealife, Dennis' body would have been recycled fairly rapidly.

Gotta ask... what prompts the question?

Just curiosity. It's always been said that Dennis was buried at sea, but none of the Beach Boys books explain exactly what that meant. What do you guys think the odds are of going to the site and actually finding anything left? Sorry for the morbid image. It's hard to talk about this without being frank.

I doubt you could go two weeks later and find anything left.

I always thought that it was kind of cool that Dennis's final resting place was where he loved to be. But now that I know a little more of the story, I'm sickened by it. How could anybody just dump him, like trash? You would think that his own BROTHERS could have stopped it from happening.

Read the Gaines book on this apparently Shawn was the only one who wanted it. I think Karen was pretty upset.

I think that because his wife wanted it (they were still married), there probably wasn't a whole lot that anyone else could do.

I'm sorry, but what did you think it meant to be buried at sea?

Sea burial is not dumping like trash...its a time honored tradition and an honor when our Govt. gives you an official burial at sea. The U.S. Coast Guard  sent a multi-boat procession to deposit Dennis' body at a specific coordinate. Shawn knew that Dennis wanted to be buried at sea because that's what he told her that he wanted. And as far as his remains being recycled into the eco-system...what do you think happens when they bury you? You get eaten by bugs and worms. Same thing as the ocean except slower and smellier. And when you are cremated most of the time your ashes get mixed in with remnants of other people's ashes, you might be sharing an earn with a person who insists that Kokomo was the best BB's song ever.  I think the sea burial was a good thing for Dennis.

I don't think there's anything disgusting or disrespectful about it, either. Human beings are a part of this natural world we inhabit. We die and our bodies decompose, rot, go back to the earth--call it whatever you like, but that's what happens. (Slowly if you're embalmed or mummified, but it happens no matter what.) There is a certain beauty in becoming part of the earth again that actually flows through many religions and philosophies. It's gross to us because we don't want to die at all. But we do. I can tell you this: I would prefer that my body be simply left in a remote place (obviously you can't leave a guy out in the street: THAT is gross!) rather than filled with chemicals to make me "look alive" and left out for show and then put into some kind of fancy box and then into some concrete box in the dirt below that. Of course it's illegal in the U.S. to leave someone to return to nature that way, but if I had my way, that's what would happen. Shallow grave in the backyard, fine by me.

But it IS like dumping trash. The body is put into a bag and dumped into the ocean. I don't think anybody has a problem with the special honor given, the multi-boat procession, or even that it was Dennis' wishes. It's the graphic nature of the process. While you can relate it the more traditional ways of "burial", I seriously question that, given the option, many people would choose having the body of a loved one dumped into an ocean. Anyway....

I remember reading somewhere that there was also some discussion about what music would be played at the burial. Some of the ex-wives (Karen Lamm-Wilson especially?) were pushing for POB, specifically "Farewell My Friend", while Shawn was pushing for The Police's "Every Breath You Take", which was apparently Dennis' favorite song around that time.

But there is a "graphic nature" of any process that deals with disposing of a dead body. Isn't it graphic to remove blood, inject chemicals, apply make-up, set out for display, then put into a box and place in the dirt? That's graphic--horrific, even. But we're more used to it. How is a box in the dirt better than a bag in the ocean?

Can you believe it, Luther? After 31 years, POB/Bamboo is finally out. TLOS is probably being mastered as we're speaking. Al is re-recording "Cottonfields" or "Crack At Your Love" or whatever. And I have a wedding reception to DJ in about two hours - and we're debating the merits of body bags vs. coffins. Only on a Beach Boys' message board!

How is a box in the dirt better than a bag in the ocean? What would you choose? I can't believe I'm talking about this....It's a more comfortable way for loved ones to say goodbye to a loved one. It's just he way the human race has been doing it for centuries. Does that make it right for everyone? No. I have to end this. If you don't understand why billions of people would prefer a sealed casket being lowered into a burial plot as opposed to a body put into a bag and thrown into the sea of tunes, then there's nothing else I can add....

Well, the segment of the human race that we're more familiar with. Certainly not all humans. (See: Indian Hindi) But yeah, enough on this topic. And back to the idea of Al adding some new egg shakers and background vocals to "Come Go With Me" so he can finally get a proper mix released in 2016.

What about Jan Berry? He donated his organs. Just think of the little bits of Jan that are out walking around, right now. (Edit: This is obviously a joke, and I don't mean to offend. But Jan _was_ an organ donor.)

Just throwing my two cents in, after you die, your body is no longer "you". Dennis wasn't thrown into the ocean, his body was. Dennis, depending on your beliefs about the afterlife, no longer exists/is in Heaven/got reincarnated/et cetera.

That was the funniest thing I heard all day...

My two cents as well. In April, I sat with my 93 year old mother as she spent her last 20 minutes in her earthly body, her battered shell of a body riddled with cancer. She was struggling to breathe and since hospice was there, I could do nothing but hold her hand and put a wet cloth on her forehead. All I could do was try to soothe her by telling her it was OK and that I loved her. Her eyes were half open and I knew SHE knew she was dying. Her last breath was taken and I saw all of her life go out of her. At that moment, my mom was no longer that body her soul had taken residence in for over 93 years. She was gone and all that was left was that shell of a battered, long used body. I had no reservations about burying her after that. I haven't been back to the cemetery since then either. Besides the fact it is over 15 miles away, I know that under the grass is just her shell lying next to the shell of my dad. I like to think that they are in heaven, unburdened by cancer and the crap of daily life. Isn't that what we all want for our deceased loved ones??? To feel they are free again? In the end, it doesn't matter where our bodies end up, our souls are free. Be thankful if your loved ones die in one piece, not battered in an explosion, or ripped apart in a car accident. Just pray that when the time comes, we all go peacefully and fast, and that we have lived a decent, kind life. I too, am an organ donor, and feel that if there is anyone who can be helped by having "pieces" of me, then go for it. I won't be needing them! Ever hear of the expression "I'd give my left arm for that person"? Well, so be it.
I think that Dennis wanted to be buried at sea and we should respect his wishes and leave well enough alone.
Just my 2 cents.

Being embalmed and having make up applied is more respectful in my opinion. It is GREAT that a simple rock musician could have the President of the United States of America grant him a burial at sea. But the whole idea of him being "fed to the sharks" turned my stomach. Amy B asked me what I thought being buried at sea meant. Well, I actually thought that the body would have been "protected" somehow. I thought perhaps Dennis would be placed in a casket, and then lowered into the sea. Or, perhaps maybe very heavy chains would be wrapped around the body bag. If Dennis ultimately wanted to have his body be put to rest in the sea/ocean, then that's all that really matters. I just agree with Sheriff John Stone in that the whole process seems quite "graphic".

Second that.

And while we're on this spine-tinglingly horrific and deeply troubling and nauseating subject, and forever mingling thoughts and images too awful to describe with my otherwise joyful period of discovery of Dennis' new release, in a thread sure to make small children weep and fear the darkness, I would just add that for those interested in getting some insight into Dennis' final moments and what really (probably) happened to him, former Los Angeles County coroner Thomas Noguchi wrote a book years ago called Coroner At Large in which he examined famous local cases from after his retirement.  There's a chapter, for example, on the Freddie Prinze case, and there's an excellent chapter on Dennis.

To add further to some of Luther's points, a year or so ago I was subjected by a friend to Jessica Mitford's excellent, if thoroughly repulsive and dispiriting, revised edition of The American Way Of Death, a scathing expose of the funeral and undertaking racket, and I say when the time comes, put me down the sink and have done with it.  I am utterly convinced that embalming is a revolting sham with no value; hygienic, aesthetic or otherwise, and I have no desire to lay claim for eternity to even a tiny piece of earth where children could otherwise play baseball. (It would be kind of cool to have a really scary grave on Halloween, but that's only once a year.  I also wouldn't mind having a grave if they built condos on it and then a bunch of us could rise up all mossy and gross and seek vengeance on the living.  But that's not gonna happen).

Anyway, may all of us someday merge with the infinite, having left our footprints in the sand, as beautifully as Dennis Carl Wilson did, and may the day not be soon.

(edited- thanks, Aegir!)

Actually, I think your first idea was pretty accurate.  It (not he) would have almost certainly been placed in a weighted bag.

Murry Gage Wilson had a son Dennis Carl Wilson who had a son Gage Dennis Wilson, but there is no Dennis Gage Wilson (I think).

Did I get that wrong?  I must be losing it.  I just tried to check on Wikipedia but don't see the full name listed.  I had it in mind that they were Brian Douglas, Dennis Gage, and Carl Dennis. But my mind is finally going from years of Nutra-sweet.

Dennis drowned then buried at sea. Very respectful IMO.
Thought it was a great honor by Reagan in 83 and have never thought otherwise.

Like I said earlier in this thread, the body bag at any burial at sea is weighted - otherwise it will inevitably float when committed, and possibly rise to the surface in a few days when the gases start forming.

The process of burial at sea has a long history - the body isn't simply checked over the side. There's a protocol and prescribed ceremony.

I intend to stay on this side of the grass.     At least until my ashes leach into the soil.

Of course the neatest thing would be to donate organs and give the corpse to medical science for research or education.     In the end, incinerate the remains.   Even in death, we might be able to do some good.

That's my plan.  I am a physiologist/dietitian so I learned a lot from cadavers in college and want to give those after me the same opportunity.  The Ohio State University here I come!

Following up to an earlier post in this thread...yeah, it would have had to have been a bury-the-body-in-the-water thing, as you don't need special permission from the President to have your ashes scattered at sea.

Just a windless day...

I always assumed that buried at sea, meant being litterally buried into the ocean floor! And I always wondered if their were actual tombstones of soldiers and one of Dennis Wilson out there somewhere!