Family members of Mickey Rooney have reached an agreement on where and how the actor should be buried, attorneys said Thursday.
Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney died on April 6 at 93.
Mickey Rooney will be buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery alongside other screen legends like Douglas Fairbanks, Cecil B. DeMille and Jayne Mansfield, the parties in the dispute agreed Thursday, according to court documents.
The announcement came ahead of a court hearing slated for Friday morning. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Steele was to decide whether Mickey Rooney’s remains would be released from a mortuary to his estranged wife, Janice Rooney, who wanted to inter him in a pre-arranged family plot, or to his conservator, Michael Augustine, who had said the actor wished to be buried at Hollywood Forever.
The agreement Thursday sidesteps a potentially costly and arduous court battle.
Mickey Rooney will be buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery alongside other screen legends
“Despite her strong desire to be buried beside her husband, Jan feels she owes it to Mickey’s fans to work with Mike to allow Mickey to be buried alongside of (sic) other members of Hollywood royalty,” Michael Augustine and Janice Rooney said in a joint statement Thursday.
The dispute began after Mickey Rooney’s lawyers filed a will revealing that the actor left his estate of only $18,000 to a stepson, Mark Aber, and his wife, Charlene, who had served as his primary caretakers.
Mickey Rooney was living with Mark and Charlene Aber when he died.
The actor’s latest will disinherited Janice, Mickey Rooney’s wife of 35 years, and his nine children.
In 2011, Mickey Rooney sued Christopher and Christina Aber – Rooney’s wife’s biological son and wife – for elder abuse, claiming they stole money and deprived him of food and medications and would not let him leave his home. The couple settled the case in October after admitting taking $2.8 million from the actor’s accounts.
Michael Augustine and Janice Rooney will be collaborating on a small funeral for family, which Christopher and Christina Aber are not permitted to attend, the court document said.
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Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney has died aged 93, Los Angeles police say.
Mickey Rooney was with his family when he died at home on Sunday, April 6.
Born in Brooklyn on September 23, 1920, Mickey Rooney began his career aged 18 months in his parents’ vaudeville act, Yule and Carter, and never really retired.
By 1965, Mickey Rooney’s 200 films had earned more than $3 billion around the world.
Laurence Olivier once referred to Mickey Rooney as the greatest film actor America ever produced.
Mickey Rooney’s death was first reported by Variety magazine. The actor is said to have been ill for some time.
Mickey Rooney began his career aged 18 months in his parents’ vaudeville act, Yule and Carter, and never really retired (photo Getty Images)
In a film and musical career spanning eight decades, Mickey Rooney was nominated for four Academy Awards and received two special Oscars, including one in 1983 for his body of work.
Mickey Rooney was married eight times, including actress Ava Gardner.
Asked once if he would marry all his wives again, the actor replied: “Absolutely. I loved every one of them.”
Initially named Joe Yule Junior, Mickey Rooney was barely 6 years old when he had his first film role as a cigar-smoking midget in Orchids and Ermine.
In 1937, he the part of Andy Hardy in A Family Affair. Playing the son of a small-town judge proved a huge box-office draw, and spawned a hit series lasting eight years.
At the same time, a series of barnyard musicals paired Mickey Rooney with another celebrated child star, Judy Garland.
By 1939, Mickey Rooney was established as the film industry’s top box office draw.
He enjoyed international triumph alongside Elizabeth Taylor in the 1944 movie National Velvet.
But despite his success, Mickey Rooney admitted his fame had forced him to grow up too quickly. By the time he was 30, the actor said he felt 100 years old.
The show business legend was declared bankrupt by the early 1960s, with much of his money going to alimony for his ex-wives and a reckless lifestyle.
However, Mickey Rooney’s career enjoyed a revival with the film Pete’s Dragon in 1977, and his hit show Sugar Babies which hit Broadway in the late 1970s.
True to his motto to “never retire but inspire”, Mickey Rooney continued to work in film, television and theatre well into his 80s.
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