The Polaris Motel was where singer and songwriter Sam Cooke, whose influence in soul music can be heard to this day, was killed on Dec. 11, 1964. Reportedly, the 31-year-old had picked up Lisa Boyer, a 22-year-old aspiring singer, at PJ's nightclub in Hollywood and had taken her to this motel. After a dispute, she fled Cooke's room with most of his clothes. While half-clothed, he mistakenly thought she had fled into the manager's office. After pounding on the door, Cooke broke in. The manager, taking him for a robber, shot him three times with a .22-caliber revolver. The shooting was ruled justifiable homicide.
-- Los Angeles Times