In addition to pumpkin-flavored coffee, picking apples and watching the leaves change, Halloween has also historically been about bridging the gap between the living and the dead. The two worlds are said to meet that night.
In Illinois, the world of the dead is populated with many people who were famous while alive. Check out a list of famous people buried in Illinois, from the website Find a Grave.
21. Muddy Waters (April 4, 1915 - April 30, 1983)
Bio: American blues musician who is considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"
Cause of death: Heart failure
Grave site: Restvale Cemetery in Alsip
20. Daniel Hale Williams (Jan. 18, 1856 - Aug. 4, 1931)
Bio: A black general surgeon and the second person credited with performing successful open-heart surgery; appointed to the Illinois State Board of Health, which is now known as the Illinois Department of Public Health; founded Provident Hospital in Chicago in 1891 -- the first African-American owned, non-segregated hospital and nursing school in the United States.
Cause of death: Stroke
Grave site: Graceland Cemetery in Chicago
19. Maurice "The French Angel" Tillet (Oct. 23, 1903 - Sept. 4, 1954)
Bio: French-born professional wrestler who suffered from acromegaly, a rare disease that causes bones to grow uncontrollobably; won the American Wrestling Association World championship on Aug. 1, 1944 against Steve "Crusher" Casey; later inducted in the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
Cause of death: Heart disease
Grave site: Lithuanian National Cemetery in Justice
18. Richard Warren Sears (Dec. 7, 1863 - Sept. 28, 1914)
Bio: Founder of Sears, Roebuck and Company
Cause of death: Bright's Disease (kidney failure)
Grave site: Rosehill Cemetery and Mausoleum in Chicago
17. Carl Sandburg (Jan. 6, 1878 - July 22, 1967)
Bio: American poet
Cause of death: Heart attack
Grave site: Carl Sandburg Birthplace in Galesburg
See 16 more famous people who are buried in Illinois at Reboot Illinois, including athletes, politicians and comedians.
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