They are politicians, business people, athletes and performers. There's a vice president, an architect, a pilot, a critic. They founded major chains and ran machine politics, blazed civil rights trails, designed skyscrapers and sang the blues. They are famous and infamous.

And this represents only a small fraction of the notable people who are laid to rest here, a small glimpse at the pioneers and leaders who helped influence Chicago and the world.

This tour of the dead will take you from Des Plaines to Alsip, Lake Forest to Homewood to the spots where some of Chicago's best known people are buried.

Find local burial sites by topic Aviation Crime Film/Television Icon Music Politics Religion Sports

Aviation

Bessie Coleman 1892-1926 (Courtesy International Women's Air and Space Museum) More than just the namesake for a street that wraps around O'Hare International Airport, she was a contemporary of Amelia Earhart, whom Coleman beat in becoming the first American woman to gain an international pilot's license. She was also the world's first licensed black pilot. Go to top

Crime

Al Capone 1899-1947 (Chicago Tribune historical photo) Chicago's Prohibition-era mobster was the head of a crime syndicate that gave the city a reputation of lawlessness in the roaring 1920s. This is his actual burial site. His name is also on a family gravemarker within Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery in Chicago. Go to top

Al Capone 1899-1947 (Chicago Tribune historical photo) Chicago's Prohibition-era mobster was the figurehead chosen to illustrate the breakdown of law and order that followed the effort to legislate alcoholic beverages out of America. He is not buried here, but his name is on the family gravemarker. Go to top

Sam Giancana 1908-1975 (Chicago Tribune historical photo 1957) Onetime chief of the Chicago crime syndicate was found shot to death on the kitchen floor of his Oak Park home; had testified the previous year before a grand jury with immunity from prosecution. Go to top

Emmett Till 1941-1955 (Courtesy of the Till family) Fourteen-year-old Chicago youth murdered for reportedly whistling at a white woman in a store while visiting his family in Money, Miss. After he was beaten and shot, the boy's body was found three days later in the Tallahatchie River. His alleged killers were later acquitted by an all-white jury. Go to top

Film/Television

John Belushi 1949-1982 (Chicago Tribune historical photo 1979) Born in Humboldt Park and mostly raised in the western suburbs, Belushi was the first in what would be a very long lineage of Chicagoans to join the cast of "Saturday Night Live." On Martha's Vineyard, off Cape Cod in Massachusetts, where Belushi had a home, there are two gravesites, a small stone that reads "Belushi" (where he is said to be buried) and a newer, less solemn stone with a questionable epitaph: "I may be gone but rock and roll lives on." At the Elmwood Cemetery, where Belushi's parents are buried, the scene is far classier: An honorary tombstone to their son reads, "He Made Us Laugh." Go to top

John Hughes 1950-2009 (Courtesy Everett Collection) Writer, director, producer of movies with topics of teen angst -- "Sixteen Candles," The Breakfast Club," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Weird Science" to name a few -- that often were set in the Chicago suburbs. Go to top

Robert Reed 1932-1992 (ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images) Best know for his role as Mike in "The Brady Bunch," the actor was born in Highland Park, raised in Des Plaines and buried in Skokie. Go to top

Gene Siskel 1946-1999 (Chicago Tribune historical photo 1997) The Tribune's movie critic and columnist for nearly three decades. He was paired for 24 years on television with the Chicago Sun-Times' Roger Ebert, and together they transformed the way America watched movies. Go to top

Elaine Stritch 1925-2014 (Washington Post photo by Gary A. Cameron) Actress whose husky voice and brassy demeanor dominated world stages for more than 60 years, and whose career included Emmy-winning roles in television shows "30 Rock" and "Law & Order." Go to top

Icon

Gwendolyn Brooks 1917-2000 (Chicago Tribune historical photo 1990) The first African-American to win a Pulitzer, for "Annie Allen" in 1950, the former poet laureate of Illinois was rooted in the black community of Chicago's South Side. Go to top

Marshall Field 1835-1906 (Courtesy Bain News Service, Library of Congress) Famed department store owner famous for emphasizing customer service, allowing customers to return items and introducing the department store restaurant for shoppers. The Field Museum of Natural History is named in his honor. Go to top

Catherine O'Leary 1827?-1895 (Courtesy of Chicago Historical Society) She and her cow were implicated for causing the Great Chicago Fire on Oct. 8, 1871, but were cleared by the city from any wrongdoing in 1997 -- neary 126 years later. Go to top

Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe 1886-1969 (Courtesy Chicago Historical Society) World-renowned architect who was the last director of Germany's Bauhaus design school. After moving to Chicago in 1937, he pioneered development of the city's "glass house" apartment buildings. Go to top

Music

Steve Goodman 1948-1984 (Courtesy WBBM) Chicago singer-songwriter whose love of the Cubs led to him creating the "Go Cubs Go" anthem; also famous for penning "City of New Orleans" for Arlo Guthrie and Willie Nelson. His ashes were reportedly spread in the bleachers at Wrigley Field just before opening day 1988. Go to top

Koko Taylor 1928-2009 (Chicago Tribune historical photo) Chicago's "queen of the blues," whose fame rose from South Side clubs to the world stage; the most revered female blues vocalist of her time, with signature hits including "Wang Dang Doodle," "I'm a Woman" and "Hey Bartender." Go to top

Muddy Waters 1915-1983 (Chicago Tribune historical photo 1972) Born McKinley Morganfield, this singer/guitarist's electrified blues became known as the "Chicago sound" and inspired young rock musicians including the Rolling Stones, who derived their name from his song, "Rollin' Stone." Go to top

Politics

Jane Byrne 1933-2014 (Chicago Tribune historical photo) Chicago's first female mayor remembered for launching Taste of Chicago, inspiring the redevelopment of Navy Pier and encouraging moviemaking in the city by luring production of box-office hits including "The Blues Brothers." Go to top

Richard J. Daley 1902-1976 (Chicago Tribune historical photo 1969) Legendary mayor of Chicago who is the first person to achieve six terms -- 21 years -- in the position. Go to top

Charles Gates Dawes 1865-1951 (Courtesy Bain News Service, Library of Congress) Banker and politician who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his World War I reparations plan. Served as vice president of the United States under President Calvin Coolidge from 1925-29. Go to top

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn 1890-1964 (Courtesy Bain News Service, Library of Congress) Labor and American Communist party activist for more than 50 years; became chairman of the party in 1961. Go to top

Harold Washington 1922-1987 (Chicago Tribune historical photo 1983) Chicago's first black mayor, who after five years in office was on the verge of running city government his way. Go to top

Frances E. Willard 1839-1898 (Chicago Tribune historical photo) Educator, reformer and founder of the World Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Known for her excellent speaking and lobbying skills, she was a leader of the national Prohibition Party. Go to top

Religion

Cardinal Joseph Bernardin 1928-1996 (Chicago Tribune historical photo 1987) Led the Chicago Archdiocese for 14 years -- after becoming the nation's youngest archbishop in 1972 -- and is remembered for bridging gaps among clergy over the reforms of Vatican II. Go to top

Cardinal Francis George 1937-2015 (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune photo) The first Chicago native to serve as head of the nation's third-largest archdiocese; shephered the Chicago church through school closings and the priest sexual abuse scandal during his 17-year tenure. Go to top

Elijah Muhammad 1897-1975 (Chicago Tribune historical photo 1974) Born Robert Poole, the son of a Baptist preacher and sharecropper, he became the co-founder of the controversial all-black National of Islam with a philosophy of black self-determination. His organization was blamed for the assassination of his former protege, Malcolm X. Go to top

Sports

Ernie Banks 1931-2015 (Chicago Tribune historical photo) Known worldwide as "Mr. Cub," Banks became the Cubs' first African-American player on Sept. 17, 1953, and went on to become an 11-time All-Star and two-time National League Most Valuable Player (1958-59). His boundless enthusiasm and optimism personified what it meant to be a Cubs fan. Go to top

Jack Brickhouse 1916-1998 (Chicago Tribune historical photo 1981) Though he broadcast games for several local teams in virtually every major sport, the Peoria native became synonymous as the voice of the Cubs after calling Cubs games from 1941-81. Go to top

Harry Caray 1914-1998 (Courtesy Chicago Cubs/Stephen Green) Baseball play-by-play man for 53 years -- including 11 with the White Sox and 16 with the Cubs -- who took the tired baseball custom of the seventh-inning stretch and tranformed it into a memorable, albeit off-key Chicago ritual. Go to top

Charles Comiskey 1859-1931 (Chicago Tribune historical photo) President and owner of the Chicago White Sox; sole owner of the club from the day of its inception. The only man of his day who rose from the player ranks to club ownership. Go to top

George "Papa Bear" Halas 1895-1983 (Chicago Tribune historical photo) Owner of the Chicago Bears for nearly six decades, legendary coach and founding father of the National Football League. Go to top

Jack Johnson 1878-1946 (Courtesy Otto Sarony Co., Library of Congress) The first black man to become heavyweight boxing champion of the world. His 29-year boxing career included 109 major fights — including at least one where he was paid to lose. Go to top

Ray Meyer 1913-2006 (Chicago Tribune historical photo 1990) The coach, face of DePaul University basketball for 42 seasons, including a 1945 National Invitation Tournament championship and a staggering 724-354 record. Go to top

Jesse Owens 1913-1980 (AFP/Getty Images) U.S. Olympic track sprinter who won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, shattering Adolf Hitler's theories of Aryan superiority. Go to top