From beyond the Big One: Does Redd Foxx's ghost haunt the sound stage where he died? Redd Foxx's Ghost From the Files of Fortean Slips by D. Trull Enigma Editor dtrull@parascope.com The lust for fame must surely be an enduring one, considering that many of history's most prominent ghosts were celebrities even back before they died. Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne and James Dean regularly turn up in spectral sightings worldwide, and I need not name the portly, sideburned Burger King customer whose manifestations may or may not be more than just a hunk-o-hunk-o hauntin' love. But these apparitions all died decades ago, so it's high time that a new generation of famous dead guys got a piece of the afterworld action. One of the first late celebs of the '90s to make a posthumous comeback is Redd Foxx, beloved star of TV's "Sanford & Son." Junkman Fred Sanford's trademark response to stressful events was to clutch his chest and stagger in a cardiac stupor, stretching his other arm skyward as he notified his long-departed wife Elizabeth that he was coming to join her in that great junk yard in the sky. On October 11, 1991, while Foxx was rehearsing on the set of his latter-day series, "The Royal Family," Foxx suffered a fatal heart attack. When he collapsed and complained of chest pains, everyone at the scene laughed. Little did they suspect that the Big One had finally come, for real. Subsequently, many have reported that the ghost of Redd Foxx haunts the soundstage where he died. Perhaps he is protesting his unfortunate fate as the heart attackee who cried wolf. In addition, as reported to an Enigma field operative, a fan of Foxx recently purchased the comedian's former estate in Las Vegas. After moving in, the buyer experienced no end of slamming doors and mysterious noises. He finally sold the house to seek peace and quiet, but not before trying the services of a professional medium. The psychic claimed to make contact with Foxx, who explained that his poltergeistic demonstrations were provoked not by the new occupant of his home, but by Foxx's eternal hatred for the Internal Revenue Service. Foxx spent his final years embroiled in a bitter struggle over back taxes. It is not known whether jealously over surviving "Sanford & Son" co-star Whitman "Grady" Mayo (whose career has been rejuvenated in a media frenzy incited by late-night TV host Conan O'Brien) has played any part in Foxx hauntings to date. Lamont, Bubba and Skillet could not be reached for comment. (c) Copyright 1996 ParaScope, Inc. Next: Ghost Brides for Sale Fortean Slips Index What do you think? Tell us in the message boards!