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Who was John Barrymore? Drew Barrymore says her grandfather's corpse was 'stolen' from morgue for one last party

Drew confirmed that her grandfather John Barrymore's body was stolen by his friends and propped up against a poker table shortly after he died

Drew Barrymore has now finally confirmed the long-standing rumor that her grandfather’s corpse was stolen from a morgue for "one last party".

While appearing on the Youtube series 'Hot Ones', she confirmed that her grandfather John Barrymore's body was stolen by friends and propped up against a poker table shortly after he died. She also revealed that three of John's friends were responsible for the kidnapping, namely Errol Flynn, the comedian WC Fields and the poet and anarchist Sadakichi Hartmann.

"They did!" she said. "And I will say this, I hope my friends do the same for me. That is the kind of spirit I can get behind. Just prop the old bag up and have the last few rounds. I think death comes with so much morose sadness, and I understand that, but if it’s okay, just with me, if everyone can be really happy and celebratory and have a party, that would be my preference," she continued. She further said that the final adventures of John's body served as the inspiration for a scene in Julie Andrews's comedy film SOB. She also said that she once heard a rumor that how the cult comedy 'Weekend at Bernie's' in which two friends pretend their dead boss is still alive, was also inspired by the fate of her grandfather.

As soon as the news went viral on social media, people started reacting to it, as one user commented, "This was truthfully portrayed in the brilliant film WC Fields and Me 1976," while another one said, "Famous story. Dramatized in the underrated _S.O.B._"

While some called it disrespectful saying, "It’s a sad reality, 'Native American' graves were desecrated on a regular basis. It was even 'legal' up until 1990. Pretty sure I heard something about George W’s grandfather stealing and desecrating Geronimo’s remains. Culture of unjustified ignorance and complete disrespect."

Another said, "Why would someone do that... Like what are you going to do w/it. Like how damn disrespectful. That's horrible!"

While another user shared "I thought that it was common knowledge & not a rumor that Mickey Roony, Errol Flynn, & some other friends snatched her grandfather's body for a night out on the town before he was buried."

Drew is prepping her for her upcoming daytime talk show, 'The Drew Barrymore Show', which will premiere on CBS from September 14, 2020. "I’m really looking forward to this digital world we are about to bring you into," the 'Santa Clarita Diet' star said in a recent press release. "I have been on this show journey for a year. We started in 2019, it is now 2020, a very different year." 

Who is John Barrymore?

Born in Philadelphia, John Barrymore was a stage and screen actor in the early '90s. He completed his education from King's College, Wimbledon, and at New York's Art Students League, Barrymore worked as a freelance artist and for a while sketched for the New York Evening Journal. In 1905, he became a mega Broadway star through 'The Fortune Hunter'. In 1922, Barrymore became his generation's most acclaimed "Hamlet" in New York and London.

In the early age of silent cinema, he did films like 'Sherlock Holmes', 'Mr Hyde' and the 'The Sea Beast'. He garnered the nickname 'The Great Profile' because of his striking looks. In October 1940, while he made his return through NBC Radio network, he recorded 74 episodes where he joked about his drinking, declining career and marital issues. While recording a line from Romeo and Juliet for the show on May 19, 1942, he collapsed and was taken to the Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital, where he died on May 29 due to pneumonia, cirrhosis of the liver and kidney failure.