Zsa Zsa Gabor’s ashes have been buried in her native Hungary almost five years after her death following a European tour alongside her widower.
The urn containing the ashes of the legendary actress, who was renowned for her diamond-studded glamour, witty quips and nine marriages, travelled in first class from Los Angeles via London and Berlin before arriving in Budapest.
Her last husband, Frederic Prinz von Anhalt, to whom she was married from 1986 until her death aged 99 in 2016, said she expressed in her will she wanted to end up in Hungary.
A funeral was held for the star in December 2016 in Beverly Hills during which von Anhalt gave a lengthy eulogy recounting their relationship and Gabor’s desire for the spotlight, saying his life was ’empty’ without her.
Her ashes were finally laid to rest in a prominent cemetery on Tuesday alongside other famous Hungarian actors, writers and poets, in a ceremony where a gypsy band played and her favourite yellow and pink roses were on display.
Zsa Zsa Gabor’s ashes have been buried in her native Hungary almost five years after her death following a European tour alongside her widower Frederic Prinz von Anhalt (right)
The legendary actress’s ninth husband holds a pillow with his late wife’s face on it during the lavish ceremony on Tuesday
The urn containing the legendary actress, who was renowned for her diamond-studded glamour, witty quips and nine marriages, travelled in first class from Los Angeles via London and Berlin before arriving in Budapest
Her ashes were finally laid to rest in a prominent cemetery on Tuesday alongside other famous Hungarian actors, writers and poets
Gabor’s extravagant lifestyle and desire to call everyone ‘darling’ in her thick Hungarian accent often made her a headline-grabber
A funeral was held in 2016 in Beverly Hills where von Anhalt gave a touching eulogy for his late wife but it would take another five years before she was fully laid to rest
Von Anhalt, who bought his royal title from an impoverished German aristocrat, carried an urn with three-quarters of Gabor’s ashes from LA, where the other quarter remains, during a window of opportunity with Covid restrictions eased.
He said: ‘She was first class, she had her own seat and she had her passport, everything there. It was her last trip, she always used to go first class, she had her champagne, caviar…’
‘And then we arrived in Budapest… That’s what she wanted and that’s what she had in her last will. She definitely wanted to be in Budapest because her father is buried here too.’
Gabor’s Hungarian cousin, Jozsef Gabor, who was close to her, said he had not been invited to Tuesday’s ceremony.
Her last husband, Frederic Prinz von Anhalt, to whom she was married from 1986 until her death aged 99 in 2016, said she expressed in her will she wanted to end up in Hungary
The ashes were flown in first class from Los Angeles to London, then Berlin before arriving in Budapest after the worldwide tour
Von Anhalt, who bought his royal title from an impoverished German aristocrat, carried an urn with three-quarters of Gabor’s ashes from LA (pictured together in 1990)
Gabor’s Hungarian cousin, Jozsef Gabor, who was close to her, said he had not been invited to Tuesday’s ceremony
Zsa Zsa died of a heart attack in December 2016 just two months shy of her 100th birthday after shying away from the public eye for her final years
Von Anhalt previously said he intended to carry his wife’s gold urn around Europe in a Louis Vuitton designer dog carrier that she bought for her favourite pet
Born Sari Gabor into a wealthy Hungarian family, she was named Miss Hungary in the 1930s before she found fame and fortune in the US
Around 100 mourners gathered at the funeral in 2016 at a Beverly Hills church to pay their respects to the iconic actress
For him, Zsa Zsa was a ‘Hungarian girl’ in the United States.
‘She did a lot for Hungarians, be it for those who fled after the 1956 uprising, or during the polio epidemic, and she did not do those things because she wanted to get into the news,’ he added.
Von Anhalt said Gabor wanted ‘a celebration of life, not a funeral.’
Born Sari Gabor into a wealthy Hungarian family, she was named Miss Hungary in the 1930s.
As World War Two approached, she and her sisters headed for the United States, leaving behind her first husband, Burhan Belge, a Turkish diplomat.
She arrived in Hollywood with her mother, Jolie, and sisters, Eva and Magda, in 1941.
Gabor, one of the last stars of Hollywood’s golden age, would address people as ‘dah-link’ in her thick Hungarian accent.
Along with her two sisters, she became a fixture on Hollywood’s social circuit in her prime.
After a string of television work and odd parts in movies, her big break came with a starring role in Moulin Rouge in 1952 opposite Jose Ferrer, and Lili in 1953.
But she was arguably better-known for her string of marriages to wealthy men, her irrepressible personality and glamorous socialite lifestyle.
By the 1970s she began to reject smaller roles, saying: ‘I may be a character but I do not want to be a character actress.’
She is widely credited with inventing modern celebrity and being the first of the ‘famous-for-being-famous’ stars.
The actress, whose husbands included hotel heir Conrad Hilton, actor George Sanders and investment banker Herbert Hunter, poked fun at her notorious love life with quips including: ‘I am a marvellous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man, I keep his house.’
The Hungarian beauty was not seen in public in her final years after her leg was amputated in 2011 following an infection.
The outspoken Gabor first married Turkish diplomat Burhan Asaf Belge in 1937 and they divorced in 1941.
In 1942, she went on to marry Conrad Hilton, the hotel businessman and the great-grandfather of another ‘famous for being famous’ socialite Paris Hilton.
They stayed married for five years, and had a daughter, Francesca, together.
The actress, whose husbands included hotel heir Conrad Hilton, actor George Sanders and investment banker Herbert Hunter, poked fun at her notorious love life
After a string of television work and odd parts in movies, her big break came with a starring role in Moulin Rouge in 1952 opposite Jose Ferrer, and Lili in 1953 (pictured)
The Hungarian beauty was not seen in public in her final years after her leg was amputated in 2011 following an infection
As World War Two approached, she and her sisters headed for the United States, leaving behind her first husband, Burhan Belge, a Turkish diplomat
Gabor married von Anhalt in 1986, and this was her longest of her nine marriages. It garnered her the title Princess von Anhalt, Duchess of Saxony
Throughout Gabor’s career, many critics said the sisters were famous for nothing, inviting modern comparisons tothe Kardashian family
The couple split in 1947 and in 1949, Gabor married Oscar-winning actor George Sanders, but that marriage ended in 1954.
Sanders went on later to marry Gabor’s sister, Magda, but their marriage ended in divorce as well.
In 1962, the jet-setting socialite married Herbert Hutner, but they split four years later in 1966.
Gabor then married Joshua S. Cosden Jr. later that year in 1966, but they divorced a year later in 1967.
In 1975 she married Jack Ryan, but that marriage only lasted a year and they were divorced in 1976.
That same year, she went on to marry Michael O’Hara, as the couple split in 1983. Gabor then married Felipe de Alba not long after, but the marriage was annulled that same year in 1983.
The marriage to de Alba was annulled because her divorce from O’Hara was not final at the time of the wedding.
She once summed up her attitude toward marriage by saying: ‘Getting divorced just because you don’t love a man is almost as silly as getting married just because you do’
Von Anhalt had reportedly even asked Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for a state funeral for his late wife
Sisters Eva (center), Zsa Zsa (left) and Magda Gabor accumulated 19 husbands, hundreds of lovers and even a lady love between the three
Three years later, Gabor married von Anhalt in 1986, as this was her longest marriage of the nine. This marriage garnered her the title Princess von Anhalt, Duchess of Saxony.
Despite gracing countless magazine covers, one of the most recognised images of Gabor was a well-publicized mug shot.
It was taken on June 14, 1989, after Gabor was arrested for slapping police officer Paul Kramer in Beverly Hills who had stopped her car.
After a brief but costly trial costing more than $25,000, she was found guilty.
She served three days behind bars and was ordered to do 120 hours of community service.
Throughout Gabor’s career, many critics said the sisters were famous for nothing, inviting modern comparisons tothe Kardashian family.
Gabor’s extravagant lifestyle and desire to call everyone ‘dahling’ often made her a headline-grabber.
She once summed up her attitude toward marriage by saying: ‘Getting divorced just because you don’t love a man is almost as silly as getting married just because you do.’
THE AMAZING LIFE OF ZSA ZSA GABOR: THE FIRST US STAR ‘FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS’
Zsa Zsa Gabor was the Hungarian-born Hollywood siren perhaps better known for her prodigious love life than her movie credits.
In her heyday she embodied the film industry’s platinum blonde ideal and was a voluptuous former beauty queen with a penchant for lame gowns that accentuated her hourglass curves.
Her resume includes a long list of film roles in such hit movies as ‘Moulin Rouge,’ ‘Lili’ and ‘Arrivederci Baby!’
Zsa Zsa came to be known for her love of diamonds
But the actress was at least as famous for her conquests between the sheets as her triumphs on the silver screen.
Like her famous great-granddaughter by marriage Paris Hilton, Gabor was among the first celebrities to be famous for her celebrity.
Her thick Hungarian accent was much parodied – especially her penchant for calling everyone she met ‘darling’ – or ‘dahlink’ as she pronounced it.
It became her unique signature.
‘I call everyone ‘dahlink’ because I can’t remember their names,’ the socialite once said.
Born in Hungary on February 6, 1917, as Sari Gabor, Zsa Zsa was one of a trio of ravishing sisters known for their shapely curves and passion for well-heeled men.
Her sisters were Magda, and Hollywood star Eva Gabor, who achieved greater acting success in the United States than her sister for her role in the 1960s hit television series ‘Green Acres.’
Zsa Zsa also came to be known for her love of diamonds and frequently was photographed dripping in the sparkling gems.
During nine marriages and a prodigious number of affairs that made her a fixture in America’s gossip magazines, she had just one child – a daughter Francesca, fathered by hotel magnate Conrad Hilton.
She wrote in her 1993 autobiography ‘One Lifetime is Not Enough’ that she lost her virginity at the age of 15 to Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey.
‘For the rest of my life, I would search for another god to eclipse him,’ Gabor wrote.
Her romantic scorecard was a ‘Who’s Who’ of Hollywood heartthrobs of her day, and her kiss-and-tell book detailed romances with screen legends Sean Connery and Frank Sinatra.
Gabor was known to be picky, however, spurning the advances of John F. Kennedy, Elvis Presley, John Huston and Henry Fonda, she wrote in her autobiography.
Her romantic dalliances even included a flirtation with screen legend Greta Garbo.
‘She kissed me straight on the mouth. And I couldn’t help kissing her back because she was so overwhelmingly strong and so beautiful,’ Gabor wrote.
In June 1989, Gabor made headlines when she slapped the face of a Beverly Hills police officer for giving her a traffic ticket. She was sentenced to three days in jail and ordered to pay $13,000 in court costs.
Gabor was briefly married to British-born actor George Sanders, who later wooed and briefly wed her sister Magda.
Gabor, who had been in and out of hospital since a hip replacement in 2010, had several close brushes with death in recent years.
A 2002 car accident left the actress partially paralyzed and wheelchair-bound. She also had a stroke in 2005. One of her legs was partially amputated.
In 2011, von Anhalt said he had kept the extent of Gabor’s medical problems from her, so that she could enjoy the festivities in typical style.
‘We had some champagne and caviar… we really celebrated good,’ he told AFP at the time. ‘I knew she had to go to the hospital, but I didn’t want to tell her anything.’