They Long to be Close to (the Carpenters)

Years after Karen Carpenter‘s death in 1983, fans still flock to her house in Downey, California, to leave flowers, peek in the windows, ring the doorbell and be expected to be given a tour, much to the chagrin of the owners of the home. Who can blame them for being so irritated? Now the owners want to raze the houseto hopefully discourage this constant vigil. Of course, the fans want the city of Downey to declare it a historic landmark, much like Graceland.

The real question is: Would you ever buy a house and intend to live in it if it belonged to a famous person? Unless you knew you could turn it into a revenue stream of sorts, I would imagine buying a famous home is asking for trouble. And, trouble is what they have. Note to self: Do not buy Kurt Cobain’s house.