
Ken Dodd was born in Knotty Ash, Liverpool, in 1927. This British comedy legend died at the age of 90 after living a fruitful and honest life that brought joy to millions’ faces.
But, today, we’re interested in his afterlife and the ghost stories that it brings…
Ken Dodd: A Very Private Person In An Old House
British comedy legend Ken Dodd was an extremely private person who spent his entire life living in the old house he was born in – Knotty Ash residence. That’s also where he would take his final breath, but not before he made one last commitment.
Exactly 48 hours before his death, Kenn Dodd married his long-time girlfriend of 30 years, Anne Jones. But according to Lady Anne, Dodd didn’t get the memo on the “til death do as part” portion of the wedding vows.
Many have wondered why Ken and Anne waited 30 years to end up secretly marrying each other two days before Ken’s passing. The answer might surprise you…
Sir Ken Dodd’s big first love, Anita Boutin, tragically passed away from a brain tumour after 24 years of being together. Her death left a huge mark on the life of this comedy legend.
The Origin of the Ken Dodd Ghost Story
Sir Ken Dodd’s Widow, Lady Anne, was interviewed with the Daily Star. During the interview, she shared her suspicion that she’s being haunted by the ghost of her late husband.
As Anne reports, she often hears the sound of slamming doors as she goes about her day. Most people would attribute this to draft, but not Dodd’s widow. She has a different answer to this seemingly normal occurrence.
To her, it’s not “just air” that is keeping all the doors in her house closed. She’s convinced it’s Ken.
The giant portrait on the wall
After Dodd’s death, his widow decided to hang a giant picture of Ken, a sort of portrait, on the wall of her residence. She also said that she wishes the picture goodnight every evening before going to bed.
This begs the question: Could the portrait be the haunted item keeping Ken’s ghost on this plane of existence?
A broken promise leaves Ken Dodd’s widow haunted
As it’s often speculated in ghost communities, the main reason for the haunting is that the spirit in question has some unfinished business.
Before Ken died, his now-widow promised to burn all of his journals and diaries and not let them fall into the hands of the public.
For whatever reason, Sir Ken Dodd’s widow couldn’t force herself to do it. The memories within the pages of Ken’s writings are too precious for her just to let them go out in a fiery blaze.
In an interview with the BBC, the widow was quoted as saying:
“The latter years of his life, he did say, ‘You will burn everything when I’m gone’ and I promised.”
“It was easier to agree, you can’t say, ‘No I won’t, he might have to burn them himself’, he was a very private person. I never thought of burning them, I knew I wasn’t going to, I knew I couldn’t.”
Is it a ghost or a widow who misses her husband deeply?
After 30 years of being together, Lady Anne Dodd is bound to miss Ken, who was her life partner for over two decades. In fact, it’s rather normal. So, could that be the reason for the unnatural occurrences surrounding her?
Anne recently admitted that she still dreams about Ken almost every night and pleads with him not to leave her when she wakes. As the widow explains, the dream seems so real that she doesn’t want it to end.
Is she just a grieving widow in a creaky old house who deeply misses her late husband? Or is there something more to the story? Did the comedy legend truly come back from beyond to visit his wife, Anne Dodd?
The answer, just like with many other ghost stories, lies within the one asking the question.
4 Other Famous Celebrity Ghosts
Did you think the story of Ken Dodd was the only ghost story involving a celebrity? Guess again. Here are some of the most interesting celebrity ghost stories:
1. The ghost of John Belushi
This comedy legend died of an overdose in a bungalow of Chateau Marmont in March 1982. More than 15 years later, a family moved into the same bungalow while some work was being done on their house. And that’s when strange things started happening…
The family’s two-year-old was constantly laughing, and no one could figure out why. The parents stated that the child was giggling, seemingly for no reason.
But what really makes this story seem real is that the child saw a picture of John inside the hotel’s lobby and shouted, “That’s the funny man.”
2. Marylin Monroe stuck in a mirror
Not only did Marylin have her own suite at the famous Hollywood Rosevelt Hotel, but she also had a floor-length mirror reserved especially for her. The story goes that, after her tragic death, the mirror was moved to a manager’s office.
One day, a cleaning lady was tidying up her office when she saw a blond woman in the mirror. According to the cleaner, the woman seemed sad, like she was going through a difficult period. The look on the blonde woman’s face prompted the cleaner to ask, “What’s wrong? Why are you sad?“. But the blonde did not respond; she just disappeared.
3. The ghost of Elvis Presley hanging on the balcony
When Wayne Newton was visiting the famous Las Vegas Hilton Hotel, he encountered something rather strange. One night, he was singing some old Elvis songs when he saw someone on the balcony of his room.
He jumped up to investigate. As he approached the balcony’s door, he gleamed a familiar visage. Allegedly, standing on the balcony and gleefully singing was no other than Elvis Presley himself.
Elvis smiled at Wayne as if to say, “I’m okay.” Then, without a word, the king of rock disappeared, or at least that’s how Mr. Newton recounts the story.
4. Orson Welles visiting a bakery
Ma Maison was Orson Welles’s favourite restaurant. Although the restaurant is now a bakery, that doesn’t seem to have stopped Orson from visiting it regularly, even from beyond the grave.
Employees at the bakery claim that Mr. Welles’s ghost often visits their shop. They know he’s there because the ghost is followed by a strong scent of cigars and brandy.
FAQ
What are the most popular celebrity ghost sightings?
Many celebrities have been spotted after their life on our mortal plain has ended. Some of the most popular celebrity ghost sightings are:
- Elvis at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas
- Lucille Ball at the Paramount lot
- Walt Disney at Disneyland
- Marylin Monroe at the Santa Monica Pier and Rosevelt Hotel
- Al Capone at his jail cell on Alcatraz
Final Thoughts
To Sir Ken Dodd’s widow, he was the man of her dreams, in life and now apparently in death. Their 30-year relationship, culminating in the two of them secretly marrying each other a couple of days before Ken’s passing, is a truly fascinating tale about true love.
And if we listen to what his widow shares, it’s also a tale that continues beyond his death.
Is Ken Dodd’s widow haunted, or is her experience of Dodd’s ghost subjective and rooted in her longing for her partner? We’ll never know for sure…
But if this ghost story makes you long for a good paranormal investigation, we can relate! Make sure you have the right ghost-hunting gear and arm yourself with the knowledge you need to carry one out successfully.















