Grave Robbers Stole Charlie Chaplin’s Body For Ransom
Five years after receiving that Oscar, on Christmas Day of 1977 in his Swiss home, Charlie Chaplin passed away at 88 after suffering a stroke in his sleep. Four months later, his body went missing and the thieves responsible phoned authorities soon after with monetary demands, which proved unsuccessful with Chaplin’s widow, Oona, refusing to pay and their desperation eventually getting them caught via phone tapping. Chaplin, whom Oona claimed would have found the ordeal “rather ridiculous,” was then returned to his original gravesite by Lake Genera, but recoated in concrete per the family’s request in order to prevent a repeat of such matters.
