Why Doris Day Will Not Have A Funeral or a Grave Marker

Fans of Doris Day will never get to visit her grave.

The legendary actress, who passed away on Monday at the age of 97, demanded in her will that her death not be marked in any way.

"No funeral, no memorial and no [grave] marker," her manager and close friend Bob Bashara told People.

"She didn't like death, and she couldn't be with her animals if they had to be put down," he said. "She had difficulty accepting death."

Despite her being a world-famous Hollywood icon, Bashara guessed the reason she didn't want a funeral was because "she was a very shy person."

Raised a Catholic, Day became a Christian Scientist after marrying producer Martin Melcher in 1951; she drifted away from the religion when he died in 1968, but remained a "spiritual person".

"She believed in God, and she thought her voice was God-given," Bashara insisted. "She would say, 'God gave me a voice, and I just used it'."

The Oscar-nominee was an avid animal lover and kept many dogs; her will specified for her pets to be taken care of, while the rest of her estate would be donated to charity.

"I'd say we need to provide for her dogs [after she died], and she'd say, 'I don't want to think about it' and she said, 'Well, you just take care of them'," Bashara recalled. "She had several when her will was written, and she wanted to be sure they were taken care of. She didn't like to talk about the dogs dying."

Fans wishing to pay tribute are instead encouraged to visit her Doris Day Animal Foundation, which she created in 1978.

"The ultimate thing for it is to keep the foundation going," he said.

Day was one of Hollywood's most popular stars throughout her 20-year big screen career, which included "Calamity Jane", "The Man Who Knew Too Much" and her Best Actress nominated role, "Pillow Talk".