Editing Russ Columbo (section)

==Death==
On Sunday, September 2, 1934, Columbo was shot under peculiar circumstances by a longtime friend, photographer [[Lansing Brown Jr.]], while Columbo was visiting him at home. Brown had a collection of firearms, and the two men were examining various pieces. Quoting Brown's description of the accident:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2vUtAAAAIBAJ&pg=6031,2312618&dq=russ+columbo&hl=en|title=Russ Columbo Dies By Accidental Shot|date=September 3, 1934|work=The Miami News|access-date=June 24, 2010}}</ref>
<blockquote>I was absent-mindedly fooling around with one of the guns. It was of a dueling design and works with a cap and trigger. I was pulling back the trigger and clicking it time after time. I had a match in my hand and when I clicked, apparently the match caught in between the hammer and the firing pin. There was an explosion. Russ slid to the side of his chair.</blockquote>

The ball ricocheted off a nearby table and hit Columbo above the left eye. Surgeons at [[Good Samaritan Hospital (Los Angeles)|Good Samaritan Hospital]] made an unsuccessful attempt to remove the ball from Columbo's brain; he died less than six hours after the shooting.<ref name="News"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jiktAAAAIBAJ&pg=4064,2026386&dq=russ+columbo&hl=en|title=Russ Columbo Is Accidentally Slain|date=September 4, 1934|work=The Rock Hill Herald|access-date=June 24, 2010}}</ref> Columbo's death was ruled an accident and Brown was exonerated from blame.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4jcxAAAAIBAJ&pg=2996,468329&dq=russ+columbo&hl=en|title=Columbo's Death Held Accidental|date=September 6, 1934|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|access-date=June 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=djMyAAAAIBAJ&pg=2883,326998&dq=russ+columbo&hl=en|title=Coroner's Jury Hears Story of Colombo's Death|date=September 5, 1934|work=Berkeley Daily Gazette|access-date=June 24, 2010}}</ref> His funeral Mass was attended by numerous Hollywood actors, including Bing Crosby and [[Carole Lombard]], who was to have had dinner with Columbo the evening of the accident and who was romantically involved with him.<ref name="News"/><ref name="Kilgallen"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4_UtAAAAIBAJ&pg=5251,2577281&dq=russ+columbo&hl=en|title=Other Columbo Gun Unloaded|date=September 5, 1934|work=The Miami News|access-date=June 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IU41AAAAIBAJ&pg=991,5779445&dq=russ+columbo&hl=en|title=Timely Closeups From Hollywood: Columbo Ceremonial|date=September 6, 1934|work=The Day|access-date=June 24, 2010}}</ref>

Columbo's mother was hospitalized in serious condition from a heart attack at the time of the accident; the news was withheld from her by his brothers and sisters for the remaining 10 years of her life.<ref name="News"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CikyAAAAIBAJ&pg=5073,5428372&dq=russ+columbo&hl=en|title=Mrs. Columbo is Not Yet Aware of Son's Death|date=September 4, 1934|work=The Ososso Argus-Press|access-date=June 24, 2010}}</ref> Owing to her previous heart condition, it was feared that the news would prove fatal to her (she died in 1944). They used all manner of subterfuge to give the impression that Columbo was still alive, including faked letters from him and records used to simulate his radio program.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GkQyAAAAIBAJ&pg=2527,6619221&dq=russ+columbo&hl=en|title=Death of Russ Columbo's Mother Ends Tender Hoax|date=August 31, 1944|work=The Miami News|access-date=June 24, 2010}}</ref>

[[File:Russ Columbo Grave.JPG|thumb|200px|Crypt of Russ Columbo in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Glendale]]

Columbo is interred in [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]] in [[Glendale, California]].

Actress [[Virginia Brissac]] was serving as Columbo's private secretary at the time of his death and was later called upon by the [[Los Angeles County Coroner's Office]] to testify and identify Columbo's remains at the subsequent inquest.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Camden People - Russ Columbo |url=http://www.dvrbs.com/People/CamdenPeople-RussColumbo.htm |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230407103406/http://www.dvrbs.com/People/CamdenPeople-RussColumbo.htm |archive-date=2023-04-07 |access-date=2025-02-25 |website=www.dvrbs.com}}</ref>