There are a few milestone moments in life that we all try to perfect – the prom night that feels like a movie, the graduation ceremony that feels like a triumph, the wedding that runs like clockwork. When it comes to the final curtain‑call, a funeral, we also hope everything proceeds without a hitch. In this roundup of the top 10 funerals that went spectacularly awry, we’ll explore each mishap in vivid detail.
Top 10 Funerals: A Grim Countdown
10 That’s Not the Right Video
In 2016, a tragic car crash in Cardiff, Wales claimed the lives of 33‑year‑old Simon Lewis and his newborn son, also called Simon. The mother, who was pregnant at the time, was rushed to the hospital for an emergency C‑section, but the baby did not survive.
The grieving family had compiled a heartfelt memorial video to honor the father and son, expecting it to be shown during the service. Instead, the screen erupted with an entirely inappropriate four‑minute clip of uncensored pornography.
The reverend recalled hearing a sudden loud noise and seeing something he could not recognize on the screen. Funeral staff scrambled to shut the smart TV off while attendees stared in stunned silence.
Anger boiled over as the funeral home launched an investigation. Their explanation? The new smart TV had somehow been linked to a pornographic broadcast.
Everyone involved was left fuming, and the incident sparked a flurry of questions about technology safeguards at solemn events.
In short, what was meant to be a tribute turned into an unexpected, cringe‑worthy nightmare.
9 Where’s the Body?
Julie Mott, a 25‑year‑old battling cystic fibrosis, passed away in 2015. A week later, friends and family gathered at Mission Park North in San Antonio, Texas, to commemorate what would have been her 26th birthday.
After the ceremony, staff moved her casket to a holding room, intending to cremate her the following day. When they returned to retrieve the casket, both it and the body were gone.
No signs of forced entry were found, leaving mourners outraged and bewildered. Two primary suspects emerged: her ex‑boyfriend, Bill Willburn, who lingered after the service, and the subcontractor firm Beyer and Beitel, notorious for a previous mix‑up of two women’s bodies and granted unsupervised after‑hours access.
Investigators concluded the theft occurred within the three‑hour window between the service’s end and the park’s closure. Neither suspect faced charges, and Julie’s remains remain missing to this day.
8 Somewhere Over the Rainbow…
Judy Garland, immortalized as Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” and Esther Smith in “Meet Me in St. Louis,” succumbed to a drug overdose in 1969. She was already an icon for the LGBTQ+ community, revered for her ability to convey deep sorrow.
Historians and fans often link Garland’s death to the Stonewall Riots that erupted five days later in New York City. Some argue that the collective grief over her passing helped ignite the uprising, while others contend the riots were already brewing due to systemic oppression.
Regardless of the precise cause, Garland’s demise preceded a watershed moment that propelled the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement forward.
7 Plagiarism Is Wrong, Mmkay?
Plagiarism can cost you a job, a degree, or even a reputation. In a chilling twist, a 2015 murder case in Johannesburg, South Africa, involved a murderer who also stole another’s eulogy.
Christopher Panayioutou killed his wife and delivered a moving tribute at her funeral. Later, investigators discovered his speech was lifted word‑for‑word from a eulogy written by Jennifer Atkins, who had passed away five years earlier.
The revelation added a grotesque layer to an already horrific crime, exposing how even moments of mourning can be tainted by deceit.
6 Fall Out
In 2021, Los Angeles resident Tina Morales laid her father to rest, only to discover that the casket’s bottom gave way during the ceremony, causing the body to tumble out.
Morales sued Universal Caskets, alleging the product was defective and failed to support her father’s weight. The manufacturer’s owner, Ariel Suarez, denied selling the casket and suggested a weight‑limit issue might be to blame.
The unsettling incident left the family shaken and sparked a legal battle over product safety in funeral supplies.
5 Just Like the One‑Wing Dove
A symbolic dove release is meant to represent the soul’s ascent. In a video that circulated widely, the intended tribute turned tragic when a passing truck struck the dove, killing it instantly.
The mourners gasped “oh!” as the bird was hit, followed by a stunned silence and bewildered glances at one another.
While the incident was brief, it underscored how even the most delicate gestures can go awry.
4 Drinking on the Job
When 33‑year‑old Christina Gilbert’s burial site was reached in 2017, the grave diggers were still at work – and a few beer bottle caps littered the plot.
Family members promptly escorted the in‑ebriated attendant out and completed the digging themselves, ensuring Christina received a proper burial despite the unprofessional behavior.
The episode highlighted how a simple lapse in professionalism can cast a dark shadow over an otherwise solemn occasion.
3 Runaway Casket
In a traditional Chinese burial, a casket was being hoisted up a steep mountainside for a Feng Shui‑approved gravesite when a pulley rope snapped, sending the coffin tumbling down the slope.
The runaway casket struck several by‑standers below, injuring three people with minor to moderate wounds.
Although the mishap was not the fault of the on‑site workers, the incident sparked concerns about safety protocols during such culturally significant ceremonies.
2 Take Me With You!
During a Kenyan funeral in Nakuru, the grieving wife and two cousins of the deceased leapt into the open grave while the preacher was still delivering his sermon.
Their impulsive act stemmed not from melodrama but from uncertainty: Edwin, the victim, had been murdered, and the family was torn over whether to return his body to the morgue for further investigation.
The chaotic scene featured the coffin already lowered, with mourners trying to pull it back out as emotions ran high.
1 Still Alive
A wake offers a final chance to say goodbye, but sometimes it reveals shocking surprises. In 2014, a three‑year‑old Filipino girl was mistakenly declared dead after a three‑day fever.
During her wake, she awoke inside her casket, prompting the attending physician to confirm she was, indeed, still alive. She was taken home that day, though she sadly passed away not long after.
This rare occurrence, known as Lazarus syndrome, typically happens in morgues, making its appearance at a wake all the more startling.