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Famous People With Really Eccentric Graves

Despite dying young at the age of 29, Hank Williams was one of the all-time greats of country music, with an incredible output of hit songs that inspired the likes of the legendary Johnny Cash, the iconic George Jones, and, of course, Hank Williams Jr. As a result, his grave in Montgomery, Alabama, is about what you'd expect, a beautiful plaza with towering, 9-foot white marble headstones for Williams and his wife, Audrey, complete with a sculpture of a cowboy hat resting on Hank's grave.

That's not the weird part, though, nor is the giant stone sign with a carving of Williams directing visitors to the Hank Williams Memorial Oakwood Cemetery Annex. No, the weird part is that the graves are surrounded by fake grass.

The reason? Hank's incredible post-mortem popularity — he racked up five top ten hits after his death, including the classic "Your Cheatin' Heart" — drew so many overzealous fans that the Oakwood Annex didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Apparently, souvenir-seekers would pluck the grass from around Hank's grave, a bizarre act that seems to be entirely confined to Williams, leaving the ground so bare that a bright green square of AstroTurf was preferable. It's still there all these years later, along with a plaque installed by Hank Williams Jr. politely asking fans to not desecrate his father's grave.

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Patria Henriques

Update: 2024-05-20