When you think about the inevitable end of life, the phrase 10 strangely specific burial requests might not be the first thing that springs to mind. Yet humanity has a knack for turning even the most solemn of farewells into a showcase of personal flair. Below we count down ten wildly unique instructions left behind by the departed, each more eccentric than the last.
10 Strangely Specific Burial Wishes
10 Shot Into Space
It may seem counter‑intuitive to picture the endless vacuum of outer space as a final resting place, but astronaut Gordon Cooper proved otherwise. A veteran of Project Mercury with roughly 7,000 flight hours, Cooper’s own ashes were destined for the cosmos after his 2004 passing.
The journey was anything but smooth. In 2007 a sub‑orbital flight carried a portion of his remains (along with those of others) aloft, only for the capsule to return to Earth where poor weather delayed its recovery for weeks. A second attempt in 2008 saw a rocket launch his ashes, but the vehicle failed two minutes after lift‑off, consigning that portion to the abyss. Finally, in May 2012, a third batch of Cooper’s ashes successfully rode a rocket into orbit, lingering for a month before re‑entering and burning up in the atmosphere.
Cooper isn’t alone in this stellar tribute. The same 2007 flight also bore the cremated remains of James Doohan—better known as Scotty from *Star Trek*—and the series’ creator Gene Roddenberry, underscoring that the final frontier truly belongs to the brave.
9 Carried Into Battle
Robert the Bruce, Scotland’s iconic king from 1306‑1329, spent his life fighting for independence. On his deathbed he lamented never having joined a crusade to the Holy Land. To honor this unfulfilled dream, he asked his trusted companion Sir James Douglas to transport his heart on his behalf.
Douglas obliged, setting out with the monarch’s heart sealed in a silver casket. Yet destiny intervened during the Battle of Teba: abandoned by allies, Douglas hurled the heart into the fray, urging it to “Go first, as thou hast always done.” The king’s heart never reached its holy destination; instead, it was retrieved and laid to rest at Melrose Abbey back in Scotland.
8 Scattered In A Park (After Being Stolen)
Gram Parsons, the 26‑year‑old singer who succumbed to a morphine overdose in Joshua Tree National Park, left a final wish that was as poetic as it was problematic: he wanted his ashes scattered among the desert’s iconic rocks. The hitch? His body was slated for transport to New Orleans for a formal funeral.
Friends Paul Kaufman and Michael Martin, determined to honor their buddy, impersonated funeral‑home workers, hijacked the corpse from LAX, and drove it to the desert. There, they poured 19 liters (about five gallons) of gasoline into the casket and set it ablaze. Their daring act landed them in jail, a $300 fine, and a $708 bill for the New Orleans funeral they’d circumvented.
7 Mixed Into Ink
Comic book creators are accustomed to seeing their characters resurrected time and again, but their own mortality is a different story. Mark Gruenwald, a prolific writer known for his work on *Captain America* and *Squadron Supreme*, faced that reality in 1996 when a sudden heart attack claimed his life.
True to his creative spirit, Gruenwald had requested that his ashes become part of his art. Honoring that wish, his loved ones blended his cremains into the ink used for the first printing of the *Squadron Supreme* trade paperback, ensuring that a piece of him would forever live on the pages he helped shape.
6 To Be Forgotten
While many of us cling to the hope of remembrance, the notorious Marquis de Sade preferred oblivion. In his will, he forbade any post‑mortem dissection and demanded that his body lie untouched for 48 hours in the very room where he breathed his last. Afterward, he wanted a simple burial on his own estate.
History, however, had other plans. Following his 1814 death, de Sade was interred at the Charenton Asylum, the very place of his confinement. Later, his skull was removed for a phrenological study and subsequently vanished, meaning his name and infamy have endured far beyond his desire for anonymity.
5 Poured Into A Pringles Can
When Fredric Baur, the chemist who invented the iconic Pringles‑tube, passed away in 2008, his family chose a tribute befitting his legacy. A portion of his ashes was carefully placed inside one of the very cylindrical cans he had designed.
The can now rests beside an urn holding the remainder of his remains, nestled within his gravesite—a cheeky nod to the man whose invention forever changed snack culture.
4 To Have An Autopsy
Charles Whitman, the 1966 University of Texas shooter, left a haunting note that begged for a post‑mortem examination, hoping doctors might discover a biological cause for his violent outburst. His request was granted, and an autopsy revealed a pecan‑sized tumor lodged in his brain.
While the Connally Commission could not definitively link the growth to his murderous rampage, the finding suggested a possible impairment of self‑control. Whitman’s remains were later cremated, but his quest for scientific insight lives on.
3 Used As A Prop In A Play
Polish pianist and composer André Tchaikowsky, beyond donating his body to medical research, bequeathed his skull to the Royal Shakespeare Company, hoping it would appear onstage in a production of *Hamlet*. Though he died in 1982, it wasn’t until 2006‑2008 that the company felt comfortable using the genuine cranium.
When David Tennant performed the titular role, the authentic skull was placed on the stage, initially reported as a replica before the truth emerged—a macabre yet fitting tribute to Tchaikowsky’s theatrical wishes.
2 Buried Behind The Wheel Of A Car
Sandra West, a Beverly Hills socialite and the widow of an oil magnate, adored her Ferrari to the point of post‑humous devotion. Her will stipulated that she be interred in a nightgown, seated behind the wheel of her beloved car.
After her 1977 death from a drug overdose, the vehicle was lowered into a cement‑lined coffin within her grave, then sealed with concrete to thwart any potential vandals.
1 Shot Out Of A Cannon
Hunter S. Thompson, the legendary Gonzo journalist, lived a life as explosive as his writing. In his 2005 suicide note, he expressed a desire to depart the world sooner than expected, but he also envisioned a spectacular send‑off.
True to his flamboyant spirit, Thompson’s ashes were loaded into a specially crafted cannon and fired during a private funeral ceremony. The blast was accompanied by fireworks that incorporated his remains, ensuring his final exit was as dramatic as his storied career.