Hollywood Forever Cemetery—that beloved local necropolis where in one visit you can pay your respects to Don Adams and Mel Blanc, have a picnic, then catch an outdoor screening of Shampoo with a couple thousand of your closest friends—is in jeopardy, friends. Noting that the atmosphere has become significantly less relaxed for visitors in recent months, LAist did a little further digging, and learned that Brent and Tyler Cassity, the charismatic brothers from Missouri who rescued the celebrity graveyard from years of neglect, are now under investigation for suspicious business transactions involving prepaid burials at their Midwest locations. From the St. Louis Dispatch:

Last month, regulators took control of three companies that make up the heart of the Cassitys' holdings. Government agencies in at least 10 states are trying to sort out what happened. Their attention is focused on one unsexy, but lucrative part of the sprawling firm — prepaid funerals. This was Forever's financial engine, spinning off cash and powering the promises of change.

Regulators are trying to determine if enough money remains to honour the prepaid funerals of perhaps 100,000 people, including 46,000 in Missouri. The funeral industry has not seen an emerging scandal like this in years.

Fans of the Cinespia screening series need not worry: The 2008 season will proceed as scheduled, with Saturday night's opener of The Party. But are there larger troubles afoot for the eternal resting place of Johnny Ramone? We'd hate to think what would happen if the lovingly restored grounds were to fall into the wrong hands, snapped up by salivating Grove and Americana developers Caruso Affiliated for a monstrous transformation into their latest trolleytastic shopping experience, The Crypt at Santa Monica Blvd.

• Hollywood Forever: Six Feet Under? [LAist]

Tags: culture | hollywood forever | rip