Interred at Forest Lawn (Hollywood Hills), Los Angeles, California, USA, in the Sheltering Hills section, Grave #1048.
Johnny Cash recorded a song in 1978 about Gene Autry called "Who is Gene Autry." Cash also got Autry to sign his famous black Martin D-35 guitar, which he plays in the video for "Hurt".
More than 50 years after the last Gene Autry western, he is better known to later generations as a singer. His remastered vintage recordings of "Here Comes Santa Claus" and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" remain very popular holiday standards into the 21st century.
Of his 92 starring features - only "Strawberry Roan"(1948) and "The Big Sombrero"(1949) were filmed and released in color.
On 8 February 1960, he was awarded 5 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: for Motion Pictures at 6644 Hollywood Boulevard; Radio at 6520 Hollywood Boulevard; Recording at 6384 Hollywood Boulevard; Television at 6667 Hollywood Boulevard; and Live Performance at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. He is the only person with 5 stars on the Walk of Fame.
On January 1st, 1942, the small town of Berwyn (Carter County, Oklahoma) changed its name and became 'Gene Autry'.
Once tried to open a restaurant in Chicago. Local Mafia chieftains demanded a cut for their "permission" to start business. Autry refused to pay up. On the opening night gangsters appeared and told the staff to leave, and then destroyed the entire restaurant. Autry closed down and returned to the west coast.
Owned Golden West Broadcasters, which owned and operated San Francisco AM radio station KSFO, Los Angeles television station KTLA channel 5, and Los Angeles AM radio station KMPC.
The California/Anaheim Angels franchise retired #26 in his honor.
The Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum in LA celebrates the cowboy movie stars of yesteryear. They have the original camera DeMille used to film "The Squaw Man" as well as costumes & posters from William S. Hart, Tom Mix, Buck Jones, Tim McCoy and Ken Maynard. The Singing Cowboys Exhibit includes clothes, records and sheet music from Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Tex Ritter, Rex Allen, Johnny Bond, and even John Wayne (as "Singing Sandy Saunders"!). The Epic Westerns Exhibit includes the costumes and gunbelts worn by John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Clark Gable, Paul Newman, & Gary Cooper in classics like "High Noon" and "Stagecoach."