He Really Asked For That?!

When most people think about their final moments, they probably imagine saying goodbye to loved ones or making sure their debts are settled. However, history is full of eccentric characters who decided to go out with a bang rather than a whimper. From demands for extravagant parties to requests involving taxidermy or space travel, these famous figures made sure their last acts on Earth were as memorable as their lives.

Photograph by Capitol Records, per a credit found in the 1959 edition of the International Celebrity Register at page 696. No known source credits an individual photographer. on Wikimedia

1. Jeremy Bentham Wanted to Be a Statue

The philosopher was so dedicated to his ideas that he asked for his body to be preserved and displayed in a wooden cabinet. You can actually still visit him at University College London, where his skeleton is dressed in his old clothes and topped with a wax head. He basically turned himself into a permanent piece of office furniture so he could keep an eye on his students.

Henry William Pickersgill on Wikimedia

2. Harry Houdini’s Ghostly Password

Magic’s greatest illusionist never wanted to leave the stage alive, so he shared a secret password with his wife. If Houdini figured out how to contact the living from beyond, he would say a special phrase during a séance. His wife held yearly séances for a decade in hopes of hearing from him, but Harry remained quiet the whole time.

LaPine Studios on Wikimedia

3. Hunter S. Thompson’s Human Cannonball

The "Gonzo" journalist didn't want a quiet funeral in a church, so he arranged to have his ashes fired out of a massive cannon. He even made sure the cannon was shaped like a two-thumbed fist clutching a peyote button to match his personal brand. It was a loud, explosive send-off that ended with colorful fireworks lighting up the night sky over his Colorado ranch.

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4. Gene Roddenberry Headed for the Stars

“Star Trek” creator Roddenberry requested that his ashes be blasted into outer space when he passed. A small portion of his ashes were packed onto a missile and blasted into orbit so he could boldly go where no man had gone before. You have to admit that orbiting the planet is a pretty stellar way to spend your retirement from the physical world.

Stefan Cosma on Unsplash

5. Charles Dickens Banned All Mourning

The classic novelist hated how morbid Victorian funerals were, so he requested no mourning at his funeral. Dickens requested no scarves, cloaks, long faces, or black clothing at his service. His funeral was to be small and private, even going so far as telling people not to publicize the time of his burial.

Jeremiah Gurney on Wikimedia

6. Benjamin Franklin’s Daughter’s Jewelry

Old Ben Franklin loved a good joke even when he passed away, and left his daughter quite the gift. He bequeathed his daughter a diamond-encrusted portrait of Louis XVI on the strict condition that she never sold the diamonds. Franklin specifically said he didn’t want his daughter to become vain or expensive, so he gave her a diamond painting she couldn’t wear.

David Martin on Wikimedia

7. George Washington’s Fear of Being Buried Alive

Like many people of his time, the first president was absolutely terrified of waking up in a coffin underground. He left specific orders that his body should not be put into a vault until at least three days after he passed away. He just wanted to be certain that he was actually gone before they sealed the door on him for good.

John Trumbull on Wikimedia

8. Marie Curie’s Radioactive Lead Coffin

Radioactivity pioneer Marie Curie passed with so much radioactivity in her system that her body glowed. Workers had to don lead suits to prepare her body, and her coffin was lined with three-quarters of an inch of lead. Her notebooks and body remain radioactive to this day, and her grave is marked with radioactive pitchblende.

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9. Napoleon Bonaparte Wanted a Close Shave

The French military leader loved his hair so much that he wanted it to be shared amongst his friends after he died. Napoleon Bonaparte’s corpse was to be shaved after death, and the hair divided between his friends. Many of Napoleon’s hairs were made into jewelry, which was a common morbid souvenir during the nineteenth century.

Andrea Appiani on Wikimedia

10. William Shakespeare’s Grave Curse

The Bard was apparently very protective of his resting place and decided to write a literal curse for his tombstone. He warned that anyone who dared to move his bones would be cursed, while anyone who left them alone would be blessed. It worked like a charm, because researchers have been too spooked to disturb his grave for over four hundred years.

Attributed to John Taylor on Wikimedia

11. Fredric Baur’s Pringles Can Urn

You probably don't know his name, but you definitely know the iconic Pringles can that he designed. He was so proud of that specific piece of packaging that he requested some of his ashes be buried inside one. His children honored his wish by stopping at a grocery store on the way to the funeral home to pick up a classic red original-flavor container.

Lal MAHAMMAD on Unsplash

12. Janis Joplin’s Final Bar Tab

Rock legend Janis Joplin anticipated that people would want to celebrate when she passed. She left $2,500 USD (a huge sum in 1970) in her will to cater her friends a big bash after her funeral. Janis’ inner circle spent the night partying at her favorite club in her memory.

Grossman Glotzer Management Corporation on Wikimedia

13. Orville Wright’s Mechanical Refusal

Despite helping pioneer airplanes, Orville Wright hated what flight had become. When he passed, he refused to allow anyone representing German interests to attend his funeral. Planes had begun bombing people during WWI, and Wright removed “aviator” from his certificate and listed himself as an inventor instead.

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14. Mark Twain’s Posthumous Publication

The infamous satirical author didn’t want to offend anyone while he was alive, so he delayed his memoir. Mark Twain’s autobiography wasn’t scheduled to be published until 100 years after his passing, keeping him from losing friends. In 2010, over a century later, his memoir became an instant publishing success.

A.F. Bradley, New York on Wikimedia

15. Dorothy Parker’s Long Wait

When she passed, famed writer Dorothy Parker willed her estate to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but left no instructions for herself. Her ashes sat in her lawyer’s filing cabinet for fifteen years because no one knew what to do with her. Parker was eventually buried in Bronx Trust Garden, but not before her estate made it through probate.

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16. Robert Louis Stevenson’s Mountain Grave

Treasure Island author Robert Louis Stevenson loved Samoa so much, he asked to be buried on it. At the request of his funeral guests, Stevenson was buried at the summit of Mount Vaea overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Local villagers spent the night cutting a trail through the jungle to carry Stevenson’s coffin to the top.

Lloyd Osbourne on Wikimedia

17. Frank Sinatra’s Travel Kit

Sinatra wanted to be prepared for the afterlife, so his children made sure he had some drinks. The legendary crooner asked to have some whiskey and a roll of dimes stuffed into his pockets after passing. Apparently Sinatra also believed in payphones in heaven, which is why he requested dimes.

Columbia Pictures Corporation on Wikimedia

18. Sandra West’s Ferrari Funeral

A wealthy seventies socialite didn’t just want to be buried with her cars, she wanted to be in them. Sandra West asked to be entombed in her blue Ferrari 330 America wearing her favorite lace nightgown. The car was quickly submerged in concrete after her passing to prevent grave robbers from trying to take it.

Joshua Koblin on Unsplash

19. T.M. Zink’s No-Woman Library

Iowa attorney Thomas Michael Zink wasn’t really thrilled with women, which showed in his will. Zink left money to build a public library that wouldn’t allow women to set foot in the building. His daughter successfully sued his father’s estate, and today the sexist library doesn’t exist.

Emil Widlund on Unsplash

20. Marilyn Monroe’s Flower Delivery

The Hollywood icon didn't actually make this request herself, but she inspired one that lasted for decades. Her ex-husband Joe DiMaggio promised her during their marriage that he’d leave flowers on her grave if she passed away before him. He kept his word and had a dozen red roses delivered to her crypt three times a week for twenty years straight.

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