Dearly Departed Tours

The DD Tour had some fascinating history of Hollywood and Los Angeles, with just enough salacious detail to keep me interested. I'd like to see a few less "There used to be a house here, but they tore it down" sites, and perhaps fill in some of those blank spots with other Hollywood anecdotes. They say this on the website, but I think it bears repeating: THIS IS NOT A TOUR FOR CHILDREN. There are explicit dicussions of rape, torture, and sexual acts. This is a TOUR FOR ADULTS. The staff were all charming and friendly. If you're a Rocky Horror fan, be certain to say hello to Scott, one of the managers, who wrote a book on RHPS. I would take this tour again.

Not only how someone died,but under what circumstances and if things were "adjusted" to improve publicity. Not all death and gore,tho! Lots of other places and locations that make the subject of Hollywood so fascinating to all of us.

My daughter selected this tour (Tragical History) as an activity she thought I would like during my visit to Los Angeles. Good guess! I am something of a classic movies buff and especially like film noir. I am not a big fan of the 24/7 cable news coverage of celebrity deaths, but this tour and its phenominally knowledgable guide brought the crimes to life as if they had been 'scooped' in this morning's Times. While waiting for the tour to get underway in the small but interesting office/museum, I was gratified to hear our guide (sorry, I am terrible with names) explaining the details of Jane Mansfield's death--precisely as I remember it from newspaper and radio accounts in the South, where the accident ocurred and where I was living. This unplanned test, along with several other presentations of facts on the tour of which I possess knowledge not generally known, specifically involving Mae West, O.J.Simpson and The Witch's House, certified to my satisfaction that this tour was rooted in facts; the best, most juicy and morbid facts. Our guide did not just concentrate on the macbre; nothing ever occurs in a vacuum and this is very much the case for the sins of Hollywood; deeply set in their matrix of greed, ambition, jealousy and extreme wealth. The wealth of information gleaned from the tour about the nuts and bolts of the movies and Hollywood in general would alone be worth the price, $$, of the tour. In addition, the tales of tragedy befalling such persons as Joey Ramone, Bryan Jones, and Janis Joplin; musicians and not movie people, adds a nice depth to the tale of lives ended too soon by fair means or foul. OK; enough of the love-in. People who may be offended by nude pictures of mutilated bodies; graphic descriptions of horrendous brutality and mutilated bodies; perverse-to-depraved sexuality; extreme human cruelty or even excessive violence would probably be better off spending their time and money at Universal Studios or the wax museum. This subject is not for the faint of heart; it would rate a hard 'R' if it were a film, other than the lack of profanity. In my opinion, it is not suitable for persons under 14 to 16, depending on how world-wise the youngsters are. Thank God I don't have to be the one to tell a twelve-going-on-twenty-one tweeting tween that she can't go because it isn't appropriate. There's a real Hollywood horror story for you! Good as it is, the tour could benefit by a few more stops to get out and explore. Understanding that so much Hollywood history is gone, such as the Brown Derby, it would be worth the while of Dearly Departed to scout a few locations where old/dead Hollywood could be experienced up close and personal. As to specifics, I would have been interested in seeing where Tom Mix buried his horse and where the corpse of Elizabeth Short was located. But that's just me. I cant wait to take the Manson tour next time I'm in town and I give Tragical History Tour two severed thumbs up!

You need to have a sense of humor to do a job like this & even though this tour shows the dark side of Hollywood, our tour guide was well informed & made the tour fun. Looking forward to reserving more tours with this company in the near future.

This was the most exciting tour that I've ever done! We live in the area and are always learning about things that happen in our backyard, past & present. This was an in depth trip around Hollywood that brings you face to face with history. Scott has created a jewel in Los Angeles that deserves the highest awards and Brian is an absolute amazing tour guide. I recommend this tour to everyone visiting and locals alike, you won't be disappointed.

Scott and Richard, my driver and guide was insanely personable and knowledgeable. I however regret sitting in the front seat as today I am fighting a bad cold from the A.C. blowing on me for 3 hours.. I look forward to my next trip to L.A. to take another tour.. Great Job Rich!!! Sincerely, Rich Peters, Pismo Beach, Ca... P.S. I will sit in the back on the next trip and/or bring a hoodie..

Tour owner and guide are passionate about their company and it shows. What was billed as a 2 hour tour went on for over 3 hours and I wish it would have gone on longer.

If you have any interest in the dark intrigue/stories of Hollywood and the players on it, this is the tour for you!!! Fun, well-documented and full of little and big stories, the two hours flew by with the sites and sounds of the afterlife!!!

This is the second time I've gone and will say again, GO on this Tour! I went with the same group of friends and Family as last time and can't wait to go again! One of those things you need to see a few times to take it all in. Scott Michaels and Brian Donnelly are the consumate Historians posing as "Tour Guides"! They really treat you, like "old friends" or family. Not for the "squeamish" or small children but, I would and do recommend this tour to anyone who will listen. Thanks, DDT, again for the wonderful time!

I'd booked a room for my girlfriends birthday and promised to take her on a bus tour. We saw the Dearly Departed storefront as we were driving to our hotel and the sign picqued our interest. Once we started reading reviews of all the tours in town, we made the decision to go on Dearly Departed based on the fact that it went to the George Michael arrest bathroom. We arrived about an hour before the tour and talked to Scott and Brian and looked at the memorabilia collection (Divine's motel door was the highlight of that). Both Scott and Brian are extremely knowledgable and were both very interesting guys. Once we got on the bus, the 3 hours flew by with all the places landmarks we saw and trivia we learned. We were far more interested in the history we learned about the Black Dahlia than seeing Dr. Phil's house. The tour was worth every penny and we can't wait to take the Helter Skelter tour!

Make sure you leave yourself enough time to view the artifacts in their shop either before or after the tour. The tour is informative, sad, shocking and funny. It's amazing the history of Hollywood and Beverly Hills with so much history in such a small area. Take your camera. Full marks to the driver and tour guide. I believe his name was Richard. Highly recommended.

The tour guide was very knowledgeable of the area and events. The tour also covered other interesting events and sights which was excellent value. Would highly recommend.

My brother and I like the macabre And thought this might be fun! It was better than expected with sound bites and background on every death site we went to. They even had pictures and coroner reports. Was very well done and our guide Brian was FANTASTIC and fun!!! Learned a lot about the dark side of hollywood - anyone who likes unsolved mysteries, ghosts, or fascination with death should definitely take this tour!!!! I wouldn't recommend bringing kids under 15 however.....

This was the second time in two years I have done this tour all the way from Australia. It is simply awesome!! Murders, arrests and tragedies dating from decades ago to present day are all covered. You visit every site and no stone is left unturned by the brilliant tour guide Brian. If you're into the morbid side of Hollywood and celebrities, you will love this!!

We travel all over the world and have had some of the best guides and some of the worst. Bryan is one of the most entertaining, enthusiastic leaders we have encountered. In addition to continuously throwing out fun facts, he does it without getting us all killed in the crazy LA traffic. We commend him for passing up the obvious opportunity of knocking us off and adding us as a tour stop. @B^)