For whatever reason many, (more than you'd think), ex actors, musicians, artists of all sorts, retired to Fresno, Ca.... which is the closest big city to me..... about 35 miles east of me.
Karen - an Original Mouseketeer; The lead singer for "Redbone" (I forget his name). Spanky from the Little Rascals. That guy with the iron teeth from the James Bond Movies. Slim Pickens probably most famous for riding the nuke in the movie Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.
Ok, won't make a list, far too many to do that. My point:
Local News kept them 'somewhat' in the public eye. Every so often they'd be interviewed on local news. They attended a lot of charity and fund raising events. But for the most part they lived out their retirements in obscurity. My guess is that local news outlets across the USA do the same with retired famous people.... but 'nationally' they pretty much fade away.
And yes, I think that would probably have to be difficult for most of them.. but not all.... Gene Hackman retired to New Mexico seems to relish his obscurity. - JamesJM
