James Dean was killed on this road to the Central Coast

CHOLAME, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – On one of the main roads taken to get from the Central Valley to the Central Coast, 69 years ago on Sept. 30, 1955, 24-year-old actor James Dean was killed.

The iconic actor was driving his 550 Porsche Spyder convertible with his German Porsche mechanic Rolf Wütherich. They were on their way to a race in Salinas.

Dean, who starred in “Rebel Without a Cause,” crashed and died at 5:45 p.m. near the place where Highway 41 and Highway 46 now connect, southwest of Avenal.

The California Highway Patrol said a 1950 Ford Tudor heading east was driven by 23-year-old Donald Turnupseed from Tulare. Turnupseed’s Ford made a left turn onto Highway 41, right into the path of Dean’s Porsche. Dean tried to avoid the crash, but the two cars collided almost head-on.

Dean was taken to a local hospital where he died.

In the late 1970s, a memorial to Dean was erected near the crash site in Cholame. Every year, fans from around the world come to the crash site to pay their respect to the movie legend.

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