The Funeralocity Manifesto
The last moments before death can be enlightening. Family and friends often listen carefully to hear the last utterances of their loved ones on their death bed. These comments can range from the practical to worldly advice to words full of wit, wisdom and warmth.
Here are some of the memorable last words from some of the world’s most famous artists, statesmen and entrepreneurs.
▢ Louisa May Alcott (1832 –1888), American author: “Is it not meningitis?”
▢ Edgar Allan Poe (1809 –1849), American writer, editor, and literary critic: “Lord, help my poor soul.”
▢ Marie Antoinette (1755 – 1793), the last Queen of France, after stepping on her executioner’s foot as she approached the guillotine: “Pardonnez-moi, monsieur. Je ne l’ai pas fait exprès.” (“Pardon me, sir. I did not do it on purpose.”)
▢ Jane Austen (1775 –1817), English novelist, in response to her sister’s question about what she wished for: “I want nothing but death.”
▢ Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 –1861), English poet, as she died in her husband’s arms: “Beautiful.”
▢ Lewis Carroll (1832 –1898), English writer most famous for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: “Take away those pillows. I shall need them no more.”
▢ Coco Chanel (1883 – 1971), French fashion designer, to her maid: “You see, this is how you die.”
▢ Charlie Chaplin (1889 – 1977), an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer, in response to a priest saying ‘May the lord have mercy on your soul’ while providing last rites: “Why not? After all, it belongs to him.”
▢ Sir Winston Churchill (1874 –1965), British statesman, army officer, Nobel Prize winner in literature and former prime minister of the United Kingdom: “I’m bored with it all. The journey has been enjoyable and well-worth making – once!”
▢ Joan Crawford (1904 – 1977), American film and television actress, to her housekeeper: “Damn it. Don’t you dare ask God to help me.”
▢ Salvador Dali (1904 – 1989), Spanish surrealist artist who famously painted melting pocket watches: “Where is my clock?”
▢ Emily Dickinson (1830 – May 15, 1886), American poet: “I must go in; the fog is rising.”
▢ Joe DiMaggio (1914 –1999), New York Yankee baseball player, regarding his former wife, Marilyn Monroe: “I’ll finally get to see Marilyn again.”
▢ Thomas Alva Edison (1847 – 1931), American inventor and businessman, is often attributed with saying: “It is very beautiful over there.”
▢ Richard Feynman (1918 – 1988), American theoretical physicist: “I’d hate to die twice. It’s so boring.”
▢ Bobby Fischer (1943 – 2008), American chess grandmaster: “Nothing is as healing as the human touch.”
▢ Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790), American statesman, author, publisher, scientist, inventor and diplomat: “Dying men can do nothing easy.”
▢ Ernest Hemingway (1899 – 1961), an American Nobel Prize-winning author and journalist, to his wife before committing suicide: “Goodnight, my kitten.”
▢ Alfred Hitchcock (1899 – 1980), English film director: “One never knows the ending. One has to die to know exactly what happens after death, although Catholics have their hopes.”
▢ Victor Hugo (1802 – 1885), French poet, novelist, and dramatist: “Here is the battle of day against night. I see black light.”
▢ Steve Jobs (1955 – 2011), American entrepreneur, CEO and co-founder of Apple: “Oh, wow. Oh, wow. Oh, wow.”
▢ Martin Luther King (1929 –1968), American Baptist minister, civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, before being assassinated: “Ben, make sure you play ‘Take My Hand, Precious Lord’ in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty.”
▢ Bob Marley (1945 – 1981), Jamaican singer, songwriter and musician: “Money can’t buy life.”
▢ Lawrence Olivier (1907 – 1989, British actor and director, to a nurse: “This isn’t Hamlet, you know. It’s not meant to go in the bloody ear.”
▢ Eugene O’Neil (1888 – 1953), an American playwright: “I knew it! I knew it! Born in a hotel room and, goddamn it, dying in a hotel room.”
▢ Luciano Pavarotti (1935 –2007), Italian operatic tenor: “I believe that a life lived for music is an existence spent wonderfully, and this is what I have dedicated my life to.”
▢ Frank Sinatra (1915 – 1998), American singer, actor and entertainer: “I’m losing it.”
▢ Dylan Thomas (1914 –1953), Welsh poet and author, has often been attributed with saying: “I’ve had 18 straight whiskies; I think that’s the record.”
▢ Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 –1827), German composer and pianist, upon receiving a gift of wine: “Pity, pity, too late!”
▢ Malcolm X (1925 – 1965), African-American Muslim minister and civil rights activist: “Brothers! Brothers, please! This is a house of peace!”
Back to Knowledge Center
