7th Heaven: Cast & Crew Pay Their Respects

As fans of 7th Heaven know all too well, it’s hard to say farewell to a long-running and beloved series They’ve done it once and now have to do it again. The drama was cancelled last year but was resurrected just days after the tearful series finale aired. Heaven’s been cancelled again and, unless there’s a direct message from God to the CW, it looks like the cancellation will stick this time around. Viewers will lay 7th Heaven to rest with the series finale on Sunday May 13th. The cast and crew have gotten a headstart.

According to EOnline’s Korbi Ghosh, the loved ones of 7th Heaven recently gathered to say their farewells to the series – in a real cemetery! Guests arrived in black for the mock burial that was held in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, CA.

At the funeral, series creator Beverly Hampden’s favorite choir performed in honor of the series and then Stephen Collins, who played the Reverend Camden in all 242 episodes, delivered the eulogy. He spoke of the series’ accomplishments and of those of its family – including a camera operator who became a director and a retired grip who spent his final 11 working years on the close-knit series.

Among those in attendance were Hampden, Catherine Hicks, Beverly Mitchell, Haylie Duff, the Brino kids (who played the youngest Camdens), Sarah Danielle Madison, and of course, Happy the dog.

Hampton told Ghosh, “I guess I should be very sad to see the show end. But really, if anyone was part of this experience for 11 seasons and feels anything other than grateful and happy to have been a part of it, then take a look around [the cemetery]… Things could be worse.”

The gathering was likely held to give the cast and crew a proper chance to say goodbye to each other. The series had not yet been cancelled when the final episode was wrapped in early March.

But, why a cemetery? Hampden explained, “This show seemed to have a life of its own, and now that it’s over, I thought it should have a proper burial.”

The show will be in good company as the cemetery is the final resting place of many Hollywood stars. Residents include Don Adams, Mel Blanc, Cecil B. DeMille, John Huston, Tyrone Power, and even silent film actress Janet Gaynor. Gaynor starred in the 1927 Seventh Heaven movie and won the very first Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in that picture. A proper resting place for the show indeed. Stay tuned!

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