Norman Chaney, child star of “Our Gang” and Baltimore native, is finally receiving some long-deserved recognition. The actor lay in very literal obscurity for 76 years – he passed away in 1936 and until very recently has been buried in an unmarked grave.
Chaney played the part of Chubby from 1929 to 1931, when he returned to public school in Baltimore. His health quickly deteriorated and it was discovered that Chaney had glandular issues. He died at the age of 21, just five years after his last appearance in the television short Fly My Kite.
Recently a group of fans put together a collection to get Chaney a headstone that would recognize the actor who had given so many people so many laughs. They fell short of their goal – $8,000 to get headstones for Chaney and his mother – but Heather Simons of Hubbard Funeral Home was able to pull some strings and get their order through.
The black granite headstones will be 28 by 16 inches. Chaney’s will feature an etching of his face and his nickname, “Chubsy-Ubsy.”
