Ryan Hammons gave more details of a previous life than almost any other child before the person he described was identified.
At a glance
4
years old when Ryan began talking about Hollywood
55
of his statements recorded by his mother were confirmed
40 years
between Marty Martyn’s death and Ryan’s birth
| Born | 2004, in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA |
| Memories began | Around 4 years old |
| Claim | A man who lived in Hollywood |
| Previous life | Marty Martyn (born Morris Kolinsky), Broadway dancer, film extra and talent agent |
| Death in previous life | 1964, aged 61 |
| Researcher | Dr. Jim Tucker |
The case
From around the age of four, Ryan talked about a life in Hollywood: a big house with a swimming pool, a street name with “rock” or “mount” in it, trips by ocean liner, and an agency where people changed their names. His mother, Cyndi, kept a journal of what he said.
In a library book about Hollywood, Ryan pointed to a man in a still from the 1932 film Night After Night and said that was him. A film archivist later identified the man as Marty Martyn, an extra who went on to run a talent agency in Los Angeles. Dr. Jim Tucker of the University of Virginia investigated the case and first reported it in 2013.
Key facts
The photograph
Ryan picked himself out in a film still before anyone knew Martyn’s name. An archivist confirmed the identification.
Life in Hollywood
He described a big house with a pool, a street name containing “rock” or “mount”, dancing on a New York stage and travel by ocean liner.
Names and people
He spoke of a “Senator Five”. Martyn knew Senator Ives of New York, and Ryan later picked out Ives’s photo.
Work and family
He said he ran an agency that changed people’s names, adopted boys, and had a daughter and a younger sister. These matched Martyn’s life.
Age at death
Ryan said he died at 61. Martyn’s death certificate suggested 59, but later research found he was born in 1903, so Ryan was right.
Picture tests
In picture tests set up so his parents didn’t know the answers, Ryan chose correctly in three of five trials.
What didn’t match
Ryan said he was cremated; Martyn was buried. He said his heart “exploded”; Martyn died of a brain haemorrhage. A few other statements, such as his father dying when he was a child, didn’t fit.
ICRR Compendium
Sources
- Tucker, J. B. (2013). Return to Life: Extraordinary Cases of Children Who Remember Past Lives. St. Martin’s Press.
- Kean, L. (2017). Surviving Death. Crown Archetype.
- Matlock, J. G. Ryan Hammons (reincarnation case). Psi Encyclopedia, Society for Psychical Research.