What happened to Lash? Widow claims ashes of B-movie star were lost by mortuaiy been a widow three times all three By Jeff Wilson The Associated Press LOS ANGELES Six months after his death the remains of B-movie cowboy A1 La-Rue have yet to reach a final resting place His widow walked into a funeral parlor three days after heart failure killed the bullwhipcracking star of low-budget 1940s westerns She wanted to view her body and fulfill a deathbed promise said get a lock of hair and put it in a locket That way he will always be with Marion Callahan LaRue said Tuesday But the corpse there mortician told me I have very bad news The body is gone It seems to us that somebody cremated him ahead of said LaRue her voice cracking with emotion as she recalled the May 24 revelation She had missed the chance to see him one last time to get that tuff of hair Lawn did the cremation too early It was a said attorney Andy Jardini who represents Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills The widow had wanted a funeral so she could join friends in saying goodbye to LaRue who died May 21 four months after open-heart surgery LaRue after all had lots of friends He was a Hollywood cowboy icon known for his handiwork with a whip and trademark black outfits in such films as of Old (1945) Caravan (1945) of the (1947) and of the (1948) Marion LaRue called Forest Lawn just a few miles from her home to handle the cremation of her husband of four years 1 were cremated Suspicious after the quick cremation foul-up however the widow sure the ashes Forest Lawn attempted to give her are really those of her husband asked to talk to the man who cremated him and (the mortician) said they fired him I ran out and threw up and went home This sounded phony to said the widow striking a feisty tone She has since refused to accept an urn that Forest Lawn says contains the ashes do I know him? They say its him but 1 take their word for said LaRue returning to a melancholy demeanor tell me where my husband is" she said friends are calling and wondering about the services I go out for the holidays or anything until I know where he is a nervous want to know what happened to the body Maybe they sold the body or put him a group grave You hear all sorts of things like that these Jardini countered: no basis for that worry We assure her they are LaRue filed a Superior Court lawsuit in Glendale Aug 30 claiming the body of her husband was lost and the cremated remains may have been comingled with others A status conference is set for March allegations have no basis The remains have been properly cared Jardini said adding the attorneys for Marion LaRue made a sizable settlement The amount disclosed by Jardini or the lawyer Rafi A Ourfalian
