Celebs With The Wildest Funeral And Post-Mortem Arrangements

By Sarah Smith 1 year ago

Star Trek Creator Gene Roddenberry

Source: YouTubeThis one, although impressive, was probably in no way surprising. Welcome to the first "public memorial spaceflight service ever conducted." Roddenberry's will specified that he wished his ashes to go "where no man has gone before." So up he went, for a second time (his ashes had accompanied NASA Astronaut James Weatherbee aboard Space Shuttle Columbia in October 1992.) Well travelled ashes indeed. He's not alone up there though, his wife Majel Barrett joined him up there in 2009. Sweet.

Prince Phillip

Source: europe.autonews.com

Never one to bow to convention (despite being a key player in the world's most convention-defined family), Prince Phillip began designing transport to his funeral back in 2003. Reconfiguring his Land Rover Defender TD5 130 to create a convertible top in the back and having the vehicle painted "military green" were a nod to the Duke's personality and undeniable individuality.

Luke Perry

Source: Everyday Health

Always one for an eco-project, actor Luke Perry requested to be buried in an "eco-friendly mushroom suit" which literally digests the body of the wearer after death. This helps to neutralise any contaminating elements, such as pesticides or heavy metals. It was also on the cheaper side of things, $1500 rather than the $6000+ these things apparently traditionally cost (ouch.)

Jack Benny

Source: commons.wikimedia.org

Despite his reported philandering, American comic Jack Benny arranged for a single, long-stemmed rose to be delivered to his wife Mary Livingstone's home for the rest of her life following the end of his. Despite his affairs and her somewhat demanding personality, there does genuinely seem to be some love there. You'd hope so after 50 years of marriage.

Harry Houdini

Source: Newsweek.com

Legendary magician and escape artist Harry Houdini was the master of illusion. In the later years of his life, his wife Bess reported that he became somewhat obsessed with mediums and the afterlife. They agreed upon a 10 digit code which he could share with her from beyond the grave when she participated in his requested annual séance on the anniversary of his death, October 31. Spooky. They're still going to his day; still waiting on that code, though.

Lauren Bacall

Source: The Telegraph

It's pretty crazy the amount of celebrity pets which benefit outrageously from their owner's wills. Sophie, Bacall's papillon, is no exception. Indeed, she was once on record as saying: "We adore each other — a same sex marriage, you know." After Bacall's death, Sophie inherited... wait for it... $10,000. What?? Apparently it was to ensure she continue to "live her life of luxury." Lucky b*tch, in the most literal sense.

Tupac Shakur

Source: biography.com

People have all kinds of creative requests when it comes to their ashes, but this use takes things to a whole new level. After his mum's private ceremony plans were canceled, Tupac's Outlawz mixed his ashes with weed and then... you guessed it... smoked him.

Janis Joplin

Source: bbc

Named the "hippie queen of show business" by the LA Times, Joplin died in 1970 at the age of 27 after a "brief, mad existence." The Rock and Roll star was notorious for her crazy relationships with men, booze and drugs. After dying of an accidental heroin OD, her will stipulated her wake be replaced with an "all night party", all paid for in advance. With 200 people tuning up, the event featured the Grateful Dead and was hosted by her favourite CA bar, the Lion's Share. Needless to say, the brownies were not strictly legit.

Rudolph Valentino

Source: YouTube

NYC has seen some pretty crazy things in its time, but Valentino's funeral has got to be up there. When he died at the young age of 31, approximately 100,000 people flocked to his casket's route, creating mad, hysteria induced riots. At a second funeral (because when is one ever enough?), a small plane dropped thousands of rose petals over the route through Hollywood.

Jimmy Dean

Source: richmond.com

Where you're laid to rest is important, right? Well it certainly was to country singer and TV host Jimmy Dean, who spent a whopping $350,000 on his eternal, granite, piano-shaped resting place. At 6"4, the man needs some serious space, but that's still a lot of dollar. As per his wishes, the inscription: "Here lies one hell of a man," were added to the piece, along with his birth and death dates.

Bela Lugosi

Source: theimaginativeconservative.org

You wouldn't know from the simple, heart warming inscription "beloved father," that Dracula was sleeping below. Ok, not literally Dracula, but when the legendary horror actor Lugosi died in 1956, he lay in state like vampire royalty and was buried in the costume of his most iconic character, the Count himself.

Graham Chapman

Source: MUBI

This one wasn't requested by the deceased but is still excellent. Unable to attend Chapman's service, the rest of the Monty Python cast sent a wreath consisting of a foot and the words "stop us if we're getting too silly." Just as well they stayed away, as John Cleese's eulogy at their own, private memorial was reportedly completely inappropriate and thoroughly hilarious. Figures.

Willie McCoy Johnson

Source: Grub Street

This one might need a bit of context. We bet you can finish the jingle: "I want my baby back, baby back, baby back..." yeah we thought so. Did you know however that Chilli's catchy number was performed by country singer Willie McCoy Johnson? In a fitting reminder to those who'd forgotten, McCoy requested to be buried in a BBQ smoker-shaped casket, with the pastors wearing chefs hats, the poll barriers aprons and live pigs invited to pay their respects. Ok that last one is a little morbid.

John Lennon

Source: The Vinyl Factory

Just as famous in death as in life, you'd expect Beatles star John Lennon to have the funeral to end all funerals, right? Nope. Whether it was his wishes or not, although we assume they probably discussed it at some point, Lennon's wife Yoko Ono hosted no such global memorial. Rather, his body was cremated in secret in NY a few days after his murder and his ashes returned to his family.

Charles Dickens

Source: Jack the Ripper Tour

Legendary British Author Dickens was pretty clear about what people were not allowed to wear to his funeral. No "scarf, cloak, black bow, long hatband, or other such revolting absurdity," was to be seen. Depute his popularity, he asked to be "buried in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner; that no public announcement be made of the time or place of [his] burial; that at the utmost not more than three plain mourning coaches be employed." Well, that's that then.

Jim Henson

Source: Dailymotion

Muppet's creator Jim Henson left a legacy of fun and laughter few of us will ever forget. Unsurprisingly, the great name had 2 memorials, once in NY and one in London, England, both featuring Big Bird performing "Bein' Green," a team of Muppeteers singing a medley of his favourite songs, and the Dixieland Jazz Band playing “When the Saints Go Marching In." Henson made it clear that the wearing of black was banned, which we're sure Big Bird appreciated; he'd have been a bit conspicuous otherwise...

Fred Baur

Source: 9GAG

You may not know his name, but we guarantee you've eaten his product. When Pringles creator and organic Chemistry PhD (good use of it in our opinion,) Fred Baur died in 2009, he requested that his ashes be placed in one of his iconic containers before being buried. There was apparently quite a family debate around which flavour to use, but the original was always going to win.

David Bowie

Source: dn.pt

We remember being confused when legend David Bowie died in 2016. Did we miss the funeral? Surely it would have had top billing on all the channels who could get it? Nope. Maybe he was inspired by John Lennon, we'll never know, but Bowie also went the incognito route. Also cremated in New York, there was no flash or ceremony. Ziggy was returned to stardust and no one was there to see him go.

JFK

Source: Presidential History Geeks

As a POTUS, there are certain regulations and expectations which one must go along with in terms of burial. No one would have noticed what was placed inside president Kennedy's casket though. An enthusiastic collector of "scrimshaw" (ornamental walrus ivory or whalebone), his First Lady Jacqueline had commissioned artist Milton K. Delano to engrave the presidential seal onto an antique bull whale tooth as a Christmas gift the previous year. The president loved it so much he was buried with it. So... what are you getting your significant other this year that they'll love to much they'll literally take it to the grave?

Genghis Khan

Source: britannica.com

Now this one is just grim (so maybe skim over it if you're feeling a bit delicate today.) Legend claims that while carrying the Mongol Empire leader's body back to Mongolia, his troops unceremoniously slaughtered anyone they met on the way, to ensure his final resting place was secret forever more. They must have seen the end of their bloody procession coming however, as all attendees of his funeral, including the soldiers who had carried him there, were themselves killed and the grave trampled by horses to further keep the secret. Still, this was a drop in the ocean when compared to the estimated 4-60 million people killed during his campaigns.

Steve Irwin

Source flickr.com

Right, back to more family-friendly things. You can't hear the name Steve Irwin without adding "crocodile hunter" to the end now can you. So following his tragic sting ray accident, Irwin was laid to rest in the family's 60-acre zoo with the appropriate monument pictured being placed there so the many whose lives he'd touched could come and pay their respects.

Roald Dahl

Source: The Vintage News

JFK and his one personal item 'aint got nothing on the grave collection of the great children's author; this guy was prepared. His daughter, Sophie, referred to it as a Viking burial there was so much stuffed in there with him. Things the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (amongst many others) creator wanted with him in the next life included: pencils, a power saw, a bottle of burgundy wine, his snooker cues and, of course, a supply of chocolate.

Aretha Franklin

Source: BBC

How long would you be willing to sit for the burial of a loved one? An hour? Maybe two... but almost certainly not eight. Such was the fame of "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin however, that fans queued overnight in the hope of joining her loved ones for her epic send off at the Greater Grace Temple. For those who were disappointed, the event, featuring Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson and Ariana Grande among others, was shown on a big screen in a nearby petrol station forecourt.

Frank Sinatra

Source: UPI

The "Chairman of the Board" was one of the most popular entertainers on the 40s, 50s and 60s, and understandably drew a crowd of 1000s of onlookers and at least 100 photographers to his funeral in Beverly Hills. Like Dahl however, Ol’ Blue Eyes needed his comforts. Dressed in a sharp blue suit, he was sent on his way with cherry-flavored Life Savers, Tootsie Rolls, a bottle of Jack Daniel's, a pack of Camel cigarettes, a Zippo lighter, stuffed toys, a dog biscuit, and a roll of dimes (just in case he needed to make a phone call, obviously.) Sleep well, Frank. As your grave marker anticipates, "The Best Is Yet To Come."

Farrah Fawcett

Source: biography.com

Wills can be a divisive issue within families; especially if you don't see the contents before your love one has passed. It must have been quite a surprise with Charle's Angels star Farrah Hawcett left her son Redmond $4.5mill (fair enough), her boyfriend of 18 years, Ryan O'Neal, nothing at all and yet her ex-lover Gregory Lawrence Lott received not an insubstantial $100,000. O'Neal had even proposed to her in her final days and reportedly kept Lott from seeing her... a bit of drama went on there we suspect.

Malcolm McLaren

Source: Belfast Telegraph

When you're a punk legend like Malcolm McLaren, anything could go down at your funeral. Amidst cries of "Anarchy!" (predictable) his coffin was taken by horse-drawn carriage, spray painted with the phrase "Too fast to live, too young to die" to a green, double decker bus, similarly labelled "Cash from chaos." Completing the effect was a floral arrangement in the shape of the anarchy symbol, gifted by Boy George. Classy.

Joan Rivers

Source: Business Insider

Joan Rivers had a lot to say about her funeral before she died. Speaking to the NY Times, she said: "I want my funeral to be a big showbiz affair with lights, cameras, action. I want paparazzi and I want publicists making a scene! I want it to be Hollywood all the way. I don't want some rabbi rambling on." The comic got her wish, even if she couldn't have "'Blue Velvet' singer Bobby Vinton singing 'Mr. Lonely,' Meryl Streep crying, in five different accents, and a wind machine so that even in the casket, my hair is blowing just like Beyonce's," as she planned out in her book, she did get a star studded affair including Howard Stern, Whoopi Goldberg, and Hugh Jackman. The entertainment was also top drawer, with the Gay Men's choir singing show tunes, Audra McDonald singing "Smile and the NYPD bagpipers playing "New York, New York" to close. Nice.

Hunter S Thompson

Source: ESPN

Long before his tragic suicide in 2005, controversial writer Hunter S Thompson planned out exactly how he wanted his funeral to go down: with his ashes being shot out of a cannon. And so they were, accompanied by fireworks and Norman Greenwood's 1969 hit song, "Spirit in the Sky," in, what the The New York Times called, "an irreverent farewell to the founder of 'gonzo journalism.'" It was a bit pricey (a casual $3million or so), but Johnny Depp, who'd played Thompson in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," kindly picked up the tab.

Elizabeth Taylor

Source: Inside Edition

Ever the movie star, Dame Elizabeth Taylor specifically requested that she be "fashionably late" to her funeral in 2011. It was only 15 minuted mind, but she still wanted to be late in every sense of the word. Those 15 minutes were probably quite helpful to the florist, who was charged with draping her casket with with gardenias, violets, and lily of the valley.

Amy Winehouse

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Another big name opting for a small farewell. Hosted by London’s Edgwarebury Cemetery, Amy Whitehouse's send off was small, but full of love and a few famous faces (though not as many as you'd expect.) Kelly Osbourne and Mark Ronson were among the few to join her family in a traditional Jewish service before she was cremated.

Carrie Fisher

Image Source / Vanity Fair

During her lifetime, Carrie Fisher was open about her struggles with mental health and bipolar disorder. After her death, the actress's ashes were stored in quite an unusual urn: one shaped like the anti-depressant pill, Prozac.

Bruce Lee

Image Source / Ranker

Bruce Lee's sort of weird send off was linked to the film he had been in the middle of making during the time of his death - unfortunately named Game of Death. After Lee's death, the filmmakers had the character he played fake his own death - and they then used footage of Bruce Lee's actual funeral to use in the movie, particularly shots of Lee lying in his open casket...

Michael Jackson

Image Source / Gigwise

Michael Jackson had a very famous and public memorial service following his death, and this service included a very expensive casket with the singer's body inside. The casket was solid bronze plated with 14-karat gold, and lined with blue velvet. It was placed on the stage for all to see.

Muhammad Ali

Image Source / The New York Times

Ali had a private ceremony attended by loved ones, but he also had his coffin move through the public streets of Louisville, Kentucky. People could grab free tickets to his funeral service from the KFC Yum! Centre, and people chanted Ali's name as his coffin moved along the roads.

Abraham Lincoln

Image Source / The New York Times

After his assassination, President Lincoln's body was transported by train through the US, stopping along the way to Illinois for people to pay their respects. When his funeral procession was moving through New York City, one of the houses nearby had two children leaning out of the window - one of whom was Teddy Roosevelt, who would later become president.

James Doohan

Image Source / CBS News

James Doohan played Scotty on Star Trek, so it only follows his funeral would have something to do with space. He actually requested that his ashes be released in space, and a company called Celestis Memorial Spaceflights organised it for him and his family. They actually had to attempt it twice though because the first time the rocket and ashes got lost!

Evel Knievel

Image Source / The Spokesman-Review

For the famous daring stuntman you would expect a bit of a spectacle at his funeral. He had fireworks, a service that was held in a stadium with 17,000 seats, and the man himself was wearing a leather jacket for his burial. The service also included a particularly memorable eulogy from actor Matthew McConaughey on the basis of it being a bit weird.

William I Of England

Image Source / Fine Art Stonehouse

William I was a King of England famous for leading the Norman invasion of England after winning the Battle of Hastings. When he died, he was fairly overweight, and the original sarcophagus ended up being too small. Their response to this was to still try and cram the king's body in the too-small burial space, resulting in the bowels bursting and a horrible smell being released to the crowd.

Joseph Stalin

Image Source / Russia Beyond

Stalin, the dictator of the Soviet Union and man responsible for the deaths of millions, was embalmed following his death and sent to the Hall of Columns in Moscow to lie there. The people of the USSR who supported Stalin flocked to the hall and a riot began when too many people tried to view his body. Around 500 people died after being trampled.

Andrew Jackson

Image Source / Cincinatti Enquirer

The seventh president of the US Andrew Jackson died later in life due to poor health, and during his funeral, it wasn't a person who caused a disturbance, but an unlikely household pet: a parrot. The parrot decided to swear very loudly during the send-off and had to be escorted out.

The Red Baron

Image Source / Following the Twenty-Second

The Red Baron - real name Manfred von Richthofen - was known for being the best World War I pilot of his time. He died after being shot through the chest, and was buried in a cemetery in Berlin. The cemetary ended up being on the Soviet side of Germany during the Cold War, which meant his tombstone actually ended up full of bullets before he was eventually moved.

Alexander The Great

Image Source / Tom Chalky - Library

Alexander the Great died at the age of 32, and had actually asked that his body be dumped into the river Euphrates. But he didn't get his wish after his body was preserved instead and then placed in a golden sarcophagus to be moved during his funeral procession. But his body was then stolen from the procession by one of his generals and taken to Egypt. The location of his tomb was eventually lost.

Sonny Bono

Image Source / The Desert Sun

Sonny Bono - of Sonny and Cher - died in a skiing accident back in 1998. The wildest thing about his funeral was, of course, Cher delivering a hilarious eulogy in his honour, where she even donned his 'Mr Magoo' glasses and spoke at length about how he definitely needed to look a little bit cooler.

Alexander Harris

Image Source / Facebook

Harris was a local celeb in Miami where he worked as a record executive. He'd actually left instructions about what should happen after his death, which included that he be placed inside a yellow Lamborghini so people could view him inside the car. In the car, he was dressed in jeans, a hat, a football jersey and glasses. He was later moved to a glass casket.

James Brown

Image Source / Reuters

Famous singer James Brown was left waiting for months for his funeral due to disagreements his family was having. He then went on to have not one, but three funerals. His casket was pulled through the streets by a horse-drawn carriage, and his body even went through costume changes.

Arch West

Image Source / Gawker

Arch West was originally a traveling cheese salesman who was later responsible for the delicious snack Dorito tortilla chips. True to his life's work, he has his cremation urn dusted with Doritos. His family said that he would love the fact that they're throwing in Dorito chips before the dirt was put over the urn!

Marilyn Monroe

Image Source / NPR

After Marilyn Monroe died, her ex-husband Joe DiMaggio took care of her funeral arrangements. He went on to have red roses delivered to her grave three times a week for 20 years following her death. But her resting place eventually drew more attention, including Hugh Hefner buying the tomb next to hers so that he could spend time 'in eternity' with her, and a businessman named Richard Poncher who had been obsessed with Marilyn bought the crypt above her and requested to be face down so that he could stare at her. Talk about creepy!

Jim Morrison

Image Source / Conde Nast Traveler

Jim Morrison, the frontman of the band The Doors, is buried in a cemetery in Paris, and he causes a little bit of trouble by attracting various people like nomads, hippies and those who just want to cause a bit of trouble. Morrison's grave usually gets the most attention in that particular cemetery, with people armed with beer and joints. His grave has also been defaced many times, and it's even claimed his ghost has been seen.

Elvis Presley

Image Source / LiveAbout

After Elvis's death, the King was faced with grave robbers which meant his body had to then be moved. With his final resting place in Graceland, the site sees around 600,000 people visiting every single year, and the place is cluttered with gifts, flowers and mementos that people bring. But some people refuse to believe that he's even dead.

Humphrey Bogart

Image Source / Seeing Stars

Acting legend Humphrey Bogart starred in To Have and Have Not with screen legend Lauren Bacall when the pair went on to marry in a famous Hollywood love story. After his death, Bogart was then cremated and had a small whistle placed inside his urn, which was a charm from Bacall's bracelet.