Famous People Buried in New York City- A Guide to the Famous Graves in NYC
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It’s well known that plenty of high-profile people call New York City home thanks to it being a global hub for the arts, entertainment, and business, and many of them choose to remain here after death, being laid to rest in the city’s cemeteries and mausoleums.
From a U.S. president and former mayors, to acclaimed musicians and entertainers, these are some famous people buried in New York City.
In This Post
Famous People Buried in New York City
Here is a selection of notable tombs and famous graves in NYC and brief biographies of their prominent occupants.
Ulysses S. Grant
Among the famous burials in New York City is former President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant. Before his two terms in office, in which he advocated for civil rights, Grant was a respected and successful general, leading the Union Army to victory in the American Civil War.
Grant’s final resting place in Manhattan’s Riverside Park is one of the most stately of all the U.S. presidents’ burial sites. His sarcophagus is displayed in a Neoclassical mausoleum rich with symbolism related to Grant’s life and legacy. Grant’s Tomb, as it’s casually known, is officially named the General Grant National Memorial and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Alexander Hamilton
One of the most famous people buried in New York City is Alexander Hamilton. He was a Founding Father of the United States, the first Secretary of the Treasury, and a key architect of the American financial system.
As an influential political thinker and leader during and after the American Revolution, Hamilton co-authored The Federalist Papers, which promoted ratification of the Constitution, and helped establish the U.S. Mint and First Bank of the United States. Hamilton’s political career was also marked by rivalries with Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. A conflict with Burr ended in a duel that fatally wounded Hamilton.
Hamilton was buried in Trinity Churchyard in Lower Manhattan. His grave is prominently marked by a white marble monument topped with a short obelisk. The inscription on the monument’s base pays tribute to Hamilton’s roles as a patriot, soldier, and statesman.
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong was a trumpeter, composer, and vocalist who became one of the most influential figures in jazz music. He recorded numerous iconic songs, including “What a Wonderful World”, “When the Saints Go Marching In”, and “Hello, Dolly!”. During Armstrong’s 50 year career, he helped shift jazz from ensemble-based music to a showcase for individual talent.
After dying of a heart attack, Armstrong was buried in Flushing Cemetery in Queens. His black granite headstone is engraved with his name and nickname “Satchmo” in gold lettering and is topped with a sculpture of a trumpet lying on a cushion.
Miles Davis
Another one of the celebrities buried in New York City is the groundbreaking jazz musician Miles Davis. Throughout his five-decade career, Davis pushed boundaries and redefined the genre, influencing stylistic developments in bebop, cool jazz, modal jazz, hard bop, and jazz fusion. He is regarded as one of the most innovative and influential musicians of the 20th century.
Davis was buried with one of his trumpets in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. His gravesite is marked with a black granite headstone etched with his name, dates of birth and death, and a trumpet motif with the first two measures of one of his compositions, “Solar.”
Jackie Robinson
Professional baseball player Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s colour barrier when he debuted as a first baseman with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, ending over 60 years of racial segregation in professional baseball. Despite enduring racial tension, he excelled on the field, earning several awards and accolades, including the inaugural Rookie of the Year Award in 1947 and National League MVP in 1949.
Robinson is buried in Brooklyn’s Cypress Hills Cemetery under a simple gray granite headstone engraved with his signature and one of his quotes: “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives”.
Jerry Orbach
Jerry Orbach was an actor and singer known for his work on stage, in film, and on television. He began his career in musical theatre starring in productions such as The Fantasticks, Promises, Promises, Guys and Dolls, and Chicago. On screen, he is remembered for his roles in the movie Dirty Dancing and the television series Law & Order.
Orbach was interred in Trinity Church Cemetery and Mausoleum in Upper Manhattan. His crypt inside the community mausoleum is marked with a polished tile bearing his name and birth and death dates.
Herman Melville
Herman Melville was a novelist, short story writer, and poet best known for his masterpiece Moby-Dick. Before becoming a writer, Melville was employed as a bank clerk, a teacher, and even spent time at sea working on a whaling ship, an experience that influenced several of his writings.
Melville’s grave is in the Bronx in Woodlawn Cemetery. His headstone is decorated with sculpted images of a blank scroll, a quill pen, and some ivy.
Harry Houdini
Another one of the famous people buried in New York City is Hungarian-American illusionist, escape artist, and stunt performer Harry Houdini (born Erik Weisz). Houdini had a reputation for captivating and daring escape acts, including breaking free from handcuffs, straitjackets, water-filled tanks, and locked containers. A master showman and self-promoter, Houdini toured internationally and became one of the world’s highest paid entertainers at the time.
Houdini is buried in Machpelah Cemetery in Queens. His grave in the family plot features a granite monument with a built-in bench, a sculpture of a woman stooped in mourning, the emblem of the Society of American Magicians, and a bust of Houdini that has been stolen and replaced several times.
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein was an internationally acclaimed composer, conductor, pianist, and music educator. He served as music director of the New York Philharmonic and composed in several genres, including symphonies and film and theatre music. One of his best known works is the Broadway musical West Side Story. Bernstein was honoured with several awards during his career, including 16 Grammys and 7 Emmys.
Bernstein’s grave is in Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery near the summit of Battle Hill. His burial site is simple, with a small flat stone inscribed with his name and dates of birth and death. There is also a bench at the plot engraved with his last name.
Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie was a jazz trumpeter, composer, and band leader known for his virtuosic technique, showmanship, and sense of humour. He helped transform jazz into a more complex and artistically adventurous form and was one of the key architects of bebop and modern jazz.
Gillespie is buried in an unmarked grave in Flushing Cemetery in Queens.
John James Audubon
John James Audubon was a naturalist, ornithologist, and artist who spent years travelling across North America observing, cataloging, and making detailed paintings of birds in their natural habitat. He is best known for his book The Birds of America, one of the most significant ornithological works ever published. The book features 435 hand-coloured, life-size prints made from engraved plates and remains a masterpiece of both art and science.
Audubon is buried in Trinity Church Cemetery and Mausoleum in Upper Manhattan. His grave is near the Church of the Intercession and features a tall monument in the shape of a Celtic cross. The monument is decorated with bas reliefs of birds and a portrait of Audubon.
Mae West
Mae West was an actress, singer, playwright, and screenwriter whose bold wit and provocative style made her one of early Hollywood’s most iconic figures. She began her career by writing and acting in plays that pushed boundaries on sexuality and censorship. Her later film roles were box office hits, showcasing her confidence and making her a cultural symbol of female empowerment and sexual liberation at a time when Hollywood was subject to strict moral codes.
West was laid to rest in Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn. She is interred in the mausoleum in her family’s crypt alongside her parents, brother, and sister.
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was a jazz, swing, and blues singer known for her distinctive vocal style and improvisational prowess. Her phrasing, tone, and ability to convey emotion redefined jazz singing and earned her many accolades, including induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame.
Holiday is buried in Saint Raymond’s New Cemetery in the Bronx. Her gravestone, shared with her mother, is decorated with a cross and engraved with her name and nickname “Lady Day”.
Ed Koch
Ed Koch was mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989, and before that, he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. During his tenure as mayor, Koch helped stabilize the city’s finances, but was criticized for his handling of homelessness and race relations. After leaving office, Koch remained in the public eye, writing books, providing political commentary, and even presiding as a TV judge.
Koch wished to be buried in Manhattan, so he purchased a plot in Trinity Church Cemetery and Mausoleum. His large headstone pays tribute to his role as mayor, service in World War II, and Jewish faith with etchings of the Star of David, a Jewish prayer, and a quote by journalist Daniel Pearl: “ My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I am Jewish”.
Fiorello La Guardia
Another former mayor and U.S. Congressman among the famous people buried in New York City is Fiorello La Guardia. As mayor of NYC from 1934 to 1946, La Guardia worked with President Roosevelt to secure federal aid for the city and embarked on many public works projects, such as building airports, public housing, parks, and playgrounds. He also unified the city’s transit system and reorganized the police department.
La Guardia is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. His headstone bears his last name and the words “Statesman” and “Humanitarian,” and his footstone lists his birth and death dates.
John Gotti
John Gotti was a mobster and boss of the Gambino crime family, one of the most powerful and notorious organized crime syndicates in the United States. Gotti took control of the Gambino family after orchestrating the murder of then-boss Paul Castellano. Gotti didn’t shy away from attention and gained notoriety for his expensive suits, defiant attitude, and ability to avoid conviction, earning him the nicknames “The Dapper Don” and “The Teflon Don”. In 1992, he was finally convicted of five murders, racketeering, and many more crimes and was sentenced to life in prison.
Gotti is interred in Queens in St. John Cemetery, a burial ground that is the final resting place of many organized crime members. His body was placed in a crypt next to his son, Frank.
Joseph Pulitzer
Joseph Pulitzer was a politician, journalist, newspaper publisher, and philanthropist. He gained prominence as the owner of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the New York World. He was a master of sensationalist, attention-grabbing reporting, but also used his papers to emphasize social consciousness and expose corruption. He was an advocate for press freedom, helped shape modern investigative journalism, and contributed to the rise of mass circulation newspapers.
Pulitzer left an endowment in his will to Columbia University, which, at his request, used the money to found the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and establish the Pulitzer Prizes. The Pulitzer Prizes remain the most prestigious awards in American journalism and the arts.
Pulitzer was laid to rest in a family plot in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. His gravesite is marked by a large stone monument with built-in benches and a statue of a seated male figure holding an urn with his head downturned in thought.
Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz was a Cuban singer known as the “Queen of Salsa”. She began as vocalist of the popular Cuban band La Sonora Matancera and continued her career in the United States after the Cuban Revolution. She helped popularize salsa music around the world, winning multiple Grammy awards and becoming known for her signature shout “¡Azúcar!” (“Sugar!”).
Cruz was interred in a private mausoleum in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. Her white mausoleum is adorned with a stained glass window and is framed by flower gardens.
Charles Ebbets
Charles Ebbets was a sports executive and longtime owner and president of the Brooklyn Dodgers Major League Baseball team. He was a hands-on owner and instrumental in making several changes to the game, league, and fan experience.
Ebbets was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. His tombstone has a rough, natural look and is engraved with his last name. A footstone lists his birth and death dates.
Samuel Morse
Samuel Morse was an inventor, painter, and pioneer in telegraphy. He revolutionized long-distance communication by developing a single-wire telegraph and co-developing Morse code. His inventions laid the groundwork for future technologies like the telephone and the internet.
Morse was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. His prominent gravesite is marked by a tall monument decorated with two Corinthian columns and inscribed with his birth and death dates and locations. At the bottom of the monument is a plaque recognizing him as the inventor of the telegraph.
Final Words
The famous graves in NYC are unique places to visit that can be quite intriguing if you are interested in public figures and history, or are just a fan of certain celebrities. While much of the draw to exploring New York City’s cemeteries is their notable residents, the cemeteries themselves are pretty places to go for a stroll.
Tours of Famous Graves in NYC
To make finding famous graves in New York City easier, it’s helpful to take a guided tour, especially for the large cemeteries like Woodlawn and Green-Wood. Guides not only know where the most interesting graves are, but they can also share stories about the famous people buried in NYC and the cemetery’s history.
Some cemeteries, like Green-Wood and Woodlawn, offer staff-guided group tours for a fee. Another option is to take a tour with an independent guide/company.
New York City Accommodations
If you’re planning to visit famous graves in NYC and need accommodations, here is a list of hotels in New York City. Please consider booking your New York accommodations through the included link. It costs nothing extra and helps support this website.
More Burial Places in the United States
- Cemeteries in Boston- Historic Boston Cemeteries to Visit
- Granary Burying Ground- Burial Place of Three Founding Fathers of the U.S.A.
- Mount Auburn Cemetery- The First Rural Cemetery in the United States
- Arlington National Cemetery Burials- Who is Buried in Arlington National Cemetery