Here you will find examples of text for a funeral speech. These farewell words to the deceased are written in prose (not in poetry), universal (suitable for a colleague, friend, mother, father, grandmother, other relatives) and suitable for public speaking or in a small circle. All names are used solely for convenience of presentation. If you decide to use any example, be sure to change the name to what you want.
The words can be expressed separately, or you can include them in one of the speeches selected below (usually the words of sorrow are spoken at the very beginning).
Option #1
Great grief has befallen us and brought us to this funeral hall today. With a feeling of deep sorrow and irreparable loss, we see off last path person dear to us (insert name here).
(name) spent his childhood and youth in the village of (name settlement) and even then the most bright features her personality: discipline, extraordinary mind, perseverance in study and work, focus on results, straightforwardness and acumen for life. Maria Ivanovna always won the sympathy of people with her ability to negotiate, understand people and establish long-term, strong relationships based on mutual trust and goodwill. Therefore, she always had many friends, business contacts and a strong, friendly family. In addition, she was distinguished by a high internal culture, outstanding moral qualities and personal charm.
We all knew (name) as an extraordinary, intelligent and energetic person. She did a lot for us, always helped in any way she could, and her personality was always weighty and significant for us, as were her decisions, opinions, and support.
We are glad that you were in our life, because you brought a lot of light, warmth and kindness into it. We remember you, we love you, we mourn you.
Option No. 2
He (if necessary, indicate the name of the deceased) was amazing person with a difficult and interesting fate. Ivan Ivanovich always said that a person has three things that make him a person, these are work, friends and family. And today we all gathered to say goodbye to you - the person who considered us the main components of his existence.
IN lately you have often said that you look less and less into the future and more and more often turn to the past... And you notice that over time, children and family become more and more important to you, and your role in their life becomes, on the contrary, less and less noticeable. I don't agree with your last statement. We miss you. We miss you. And your role in our destiny forever remains the most significant. Without you, the whole world has become different and it is still unclear how to live with this.
We measured our lives, our victories and mistakes - by you. The world you were in seemed very solid to us. I promise that we, your children and grandchildren, will not leave each other, we will support each other the way you always did.
You showed us, taught us how to be strong family and we have learned and will try to cope. But we, dad, will not forget you, and we are unlikely to be able to let you go so quickly. Even now you will have to work for us as a guide to life path. Thank you.
Option #3
Friends, relatives and everyone present! Today we say goodbye forever to a person dear to us and I would like to say a few words in memory of him.
Our family suffered a huge loss, having lost an important part of us - you, mom. She was amazingly modest, amazingly tactful, wise and talented. A true keeper family hearth. It was thanks to her and her many years of tireless work, support, attention and firm management that our home was a real fortress and a refuge from everyday storms. And all family members were always kind, warm, well-fed, dressed, educated and cheerful. Mom always knew how to console and when not to impose advice and moral teaching. She knew how to find an approach to anyone, although it was not easy. She painstakingly, day after day, created our cozy, comfortable little world, in which everyone is significant and not forgotten. She gave us light, warmth and kindness every day. And we can never forget this.
Now mommy, take a break from your labors and get some sleep. You stayed with us for such a short time, but left love and warmth for several lives to come. And you will remain in my heart forever. You will forever be an example of a real mother, and your lessons (your example) will never be forgotten. We will try to create in our families the same warmth, love and joy that you strived for.
Option No. 4
Hello, my name is Petrov Petr Petrovich, I worked with the deceased for many years, was his colleague and friend, one of the closest people in his circle, not counting his relatives.
Today is a mournful day and we see off Sidor Sidorovich on his final journey. In such sad moments, the personality qualities of the departed person are always more noticeable and what and who he was, the significance of what he did is felt more keenly. Looking back, his intellect, experience, intelligence and impeccable professionalism become especially clearly visible. Of course, he was one of the brightest and most valuable members of our team (team, organization, etc.).
Sidor Sidorovich knew how to calmly, constructively and effectively (and this is the most important thing) to solve the most complex tasks, achieved maximum results. And he did this throughout his entire life. career path. But this path was not easy and not fast. He started it from the very beginning stages and got almost to the end, having undergone many professional transformations along the way. For me, he has always been and will remain an example of a true professional, as he should be - passionate, persistent, persistent in achieving goals, constantly learning and developing, growing above himself. I and many of my other colleagues always learned from him, and now we will miss him greatly. He did a lot to develop our organization and strengthen its position in the industry. His responsibility and sensitive, sincere care for people forever left a mark on our hearts. That’s what Sidor Sidorovich was – a noble, decent man.
We will remember you, Sidor Sidorovich, respect, love and thank you. You are forever in our hearts. Farewell.
Option #5
Dad always insisted on bringing us all together as often as possible, seeing us all together and that in life we always stick to each other. So today, as usual, he gathered us all together. But this time is the last time he is with us.
Dad was an amazing person - a real fighter and taught us this. Probably, the qualities of his personality were influenced by his childhood, in which he often did not have the basic necessities. He pulled his family out of dire need and always achieved his goal. He was inventive and optimistic and taught me in difficult circumstances to turn to this quality within myself for support. Optimism now helps me out on difficult days. For this I will always be grateful to him.
He was great, caring, sensitive and loving husband and father. He never refused me care and help. He built a house, grew a beautiful garden, gave me an education and a roof over my head. He was always a true master and supporter of the family. It was always calm and reliable with him. What more could you want from your own father? There is nothing that he could have given that he did not give to me and my mother.
Today I lost not only a parent and a guardian angel, but also - best friend. Because dad, when my childhood ended, technically moved from the status of a father to the status of a friend. Together we realized common plans and he listened to my opinion and often asked for advice. This means a lot to me and gives me a lot of strength and self-confidence. Now I won’t be able to talk to him, discuss and make plans... But I promise, dad, that I will finish everything you started and do everything the way you wanted, planned and dreamed.
I will always remember you, visit you and love you, father. You will forever remain for me an example of a man and a person. I don't want to tell you goodbye. I'll say "goodbye." You will always be present in my life in one form or another, in my heart and in my thoughts, even though I will never be able to talk to you again.
Option #6
My grandmother has always been distinguished by her amazing organization and strong-willed qualities. IN at a young age she was left alone with three children, without any help or support. And I was able to raise and train them to be decent people. Not one of them became an alcoholic, drug addict, or criminal. All children worked and work, gave birth to their children and are raising them with love and care. And how she knew how, in extremely cramped circumstances, to organize decent living conditions for herself and her children... I have never seen such exemplary and effective management anywhere else. This is her talent. Nobody knows what it cost her.
Grandma never complained to anyone; it was simply impossible to force her to waste time on whining, empty chatter or idle time. As long as I saw her and remember, she was always busy with something, constantly solving everyday problems – hers and her children’s. She worked until her last day and tried as best she could to support her adult children. She never spared attention, care and affection for her loved ones.
The main quality of a grandmother is her subtle, sharp mind. Irony and an amazing sense of humor. She taught us to always drink from this source in difficult times. And I still use her lesson. He has repeatedly rescued me from seemingly hopeless life situations. I can’t express in words how much warmth she gave me... and now she didn’t take it with her, leaving it to me for the rest of my life.
Thank you, dear, for being with me, for keeping so many of my secrets... thank you for your care and kindness, for the light with which you illuminated my childhood and subsequent years. You are forever in my heart, I love you now and will always love you. And I promise, I will fulfill everything that we agreed on.
Option No. 7
Dear friends, relatives, colleagues. Today, in this funeral hall, we have been brought together by a great loss. We say goodbye to Kharitonov Khariton Kharitonovich. Let me introduce myself for those who don't know me. My name is Ivanov Ivan Ivanovich and I had friendly relations with Khariton Kharitonovich.
We knew each other for 15 years, and Khariton was - special person. He knew how to make friends like no one else and was a true friend. Such as can now be found only on the pages of books and in beautiful films about friendship. It was always interesting to be with him and being around, it was impossible not to make new discoveries for yourself. He was constantly in motion and set in motion everyone who came into his orbit. Personally, he revealed himself to me. He found some new talents and qualities and was able to support them in difficult moment, enjoy happy moments together and never pull the blanket over yourself. I wasn't jealous. I was not indifferent. Didn't do anything mean. He didn’t know how to play around, fawn, or flatter.
I have never met such people again and I don’t know if I will ever meet them again. I will miss you very much, buddy. It's not enough anymore. Thank you for being there and for bringing so much good into my life. I will remember you, love you, honor your memory and support your loved ones. Don't worry, I won't leave them. I think you'd like that. Goodbye.
- Reading poetry when saying goodbye to the deceased is not considered appropriate and should not be overused. However, it is appropriate to say goodbye in the form of poetry if the deceased loved them very much or wrote them himself and they (the poems) were an integral, significant part of his life.
- If speech speaks stranger on behalf of the family (colleagues, relatives, etc.), then first you need to introduce yourself (to those who don’t know) and briefly indicate what kind of relationship the speaker had with the deceased or who he was related to.
- In a farewell speech it is appropriate to include some interesting case, which characterizes the deceased. Memories are also acceptable happy events, funny incidents, but without farce, sarcasm, without turning the ceremony into a farce.
- At the end, it is necessary to say personal words to the person who has passed away forever. These could be simple words of farewell or warm words of love and respect. It is also customary to make some promises or remind of some agreements that you undertake to fulfill (perhaps the deceased left a covenant or request, insisted on their fulfillment by family members, friends, colleagues). Generally, last words should be as if you were talking to a living person whom you are seeing off forever and want to leave with him and with you warm, bright feelings and maintain friendly relationships.
- Clarification of relationships, recalling shortcomings and disputes, sharing anything in a funeral speech are unacceptable.
- If you have prepared not a couple of short sentences, but a full-fledged speech, then it is permissible to read it from a sheet of paper so as not to get lost and not waste time on a painful selection of words (and the circumstances are such that words often leave the head and do not want to return to it).
- When listing personal qualities, even negative aspects character can be called correct formulations, without minute details. To do this, it is enough to look at them from a different angle and identify “ reverse side medals." For example: importunity, fixation and persistence can be called perseverance, the ability to achieve goals, perseverance and determination. And the demands of the impossible can be represented as an orientation towards high goals, dreaminess and ambition.
At this tragic moment, someone finds the strength to joke, someone says goodbye to their family and asks for forgiveness, and someone simply leaves this world.
We present to your attention the last words of people who left their mark on history.
Words before death
1. Archimedes (about 287 BC - 212 AD)
Don't trample my circles.
Archimedes - ancient Greek scientist, mathematician and mechanic, founder theoretical mechanics and hydrostatics. Archimedes died during the siege of Syracuse - he was killed by a Roman soldier (despite instructions not to touch the scientist) at a time when the scientist was absorbed in searching for a solution to the problem he had set himself.
2. Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727)
I don't know how the world perceived me. To myself I always seemed like a boy playing on the seashore and amusing myself by searching for beautiful pebbles and shells, while the great ocean of truth lay unknown before me.
Isaac Newton is an outstanding English scientist, one of the founders of classical physics. Newton's biography is rich in every sense of the word. He made many discoveries in the fields of physics, astronomy, mechanics and mathematics. It was he who expounded the law of universal gravitation. Died on March 20 (31), 1727, in Kensington. Death occurred in a dream. Isaac Newton was buried in Westminster Abbey.
3. Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Applaud, friends, the comedy is over.
Ludwig Van Beethoven is a famous deaf composer who created 650 musical works, which are recognized as world classics. Life talented musician commemorated constant struggle with difficulties and adversity. Talented composer died at the age of 57 - March 26, 1827. In 1826. Beethoven caught a cold and contracted pneumonia. The pulmonary disease was accompanied by stomach pain. The doctor incorrectly calculated the dosage of the medicine, so the illness progressed daily and the composer was bedridden for 6 months, after which he died.
4. Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519)
I have offended God and humanity because my creations did not reach the heights to which I aspired.
Leonardo di Ser Piero da Vinci - a man of Renaissance art, sculptor, inventor, painter, philosopher, writer, scientist, polymath ( universal person). Modern researchers They concluded that the probable cause of the artist’s death was a stroke. Da Vinci died at the age of 67 in 1519. At the time of his death, the master was in the castle of Clos-Lucé near the city of Amboise, where he lived for the last three years of his life. In accordance with Leonardo's will, his body was buried in the gallery of the Church of Saint-Florentin. Unfortunately, the master's grave was destroyed during the Huguenot wars.
Farewell words
5. Andrei Mironov (1941 - 1987)
Head... head... my head.
Andrei Mironov - Honored Artist of the RSFSR (10/16/1974) and People's Artist RSFSR (12/18/1980). He has acted in films since 1962. He performed as an artist and singer on stage and television. Died on stage at Rizhsky opera house, not having time to finish reading his final monologue in Beaumarchais's play "Crazy Day, or The Marriage of Figaro." The actor's death occurred on August 16, 1987 from a cerebral hemorrhage (he had a congenital cerebral aneurysm). Andrei Mironov was buried on August 20, 1987 at Vagankovskoe cemetery in Moscow.
6. Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin (1799 - 1837)
Life is over, it’s hard to breathe... oppressive...
Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin is the light of Russian literature; many great works came from his pen. He was also a polyglot and knew a lot foreign languages. In addition to creativity, there were two more great hobbies in Pushkin’s life - women and gambling. The poet participated in two dozen duels. In most fights, Alexander Sergeevich’s friends managed to reconcile the duelists. The first duel took place when Pushkin was still a lyceum student. The last 29th duel turned out to be fatal for him. On February 8, 1837, Pushkin fought a duel with Dantes, was mortally wounded and died on February 10 in his house on the Moika.
7. Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860 - 1904)
I haven't had champagne for a long time.
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov is a great Russian writer, talented playwright, academician, and doctor by profession. The most important thing in his work is that many of his works have become classics of world literature, and his plays are staged in theaters around the world.
Chekhov suffered from tuberculosis since his high school years. In the summer of 1904, Chekhov went to a resort in Germany. Before his death, for the first time in his life, the writer himself asked to send for a doctor and ordered him to bring champagne. When the doctor arrived, Chekhov told him in German: “Ich sterbe” (“I’m dying”). Then he took the glass, drank the champagne to the bottom, lay down on his side and passed away into eternity. On July 9 (22), 1904, Anton Pavlovich was buried next to his father, behind the Assumption Church of the Novodevichy Convent.
8. Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov (1814 - 1841)
I won't shoot at this fool.
Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov is a great Russian poet and prose writer, as well as talented artist and a playwright whose works greatly influenced writers of the 19th and 20th centuries.
He had three duels in his life, the last of which became fatal. Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov was killed in a duel that took place in Pyatigorsk. The poet was returning from exile, and on the way he met his old acquaintance, Nikolai Martynov. They had a quarrel, as a result of which Martynov challenged the poet to a duel, where he died. He was only 26 years old.
9. Saltykov - Shchedrin (1826 - 1889)
Are you stupid?
Saltykov-Shchedrin Mikhail Evgrafovich - Russian realist writer, critic, author of sharp satirical works, known under the pseudonym Nikolai Shchedrin ( real name writer - Saltykov).
In the last years of his life, Saltykov-Shchedrin suffered from rheumatism and frequent colds, and went abroad for treatment. Mikhail Evgrafovich died on May 10, 1889 in St. Petersburg, and was buried next to Ivan Turgenev. The writer greeted death with the question “is it you, fool?”
10. Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)
Killer color! One of us will have to leave here.
Oscar Fingal O'Flaherty Wills Wilde- English writer Irish descent, critic, philosopher, esthete; in the late Victorian period was one of the most famous playwrights. Meningitis claimed the life of the poet on November 30, 1900. He was buried in the Bagno cemetery in Paris, but after a while his remains were reburied in the Père Lachaise cemetery.
Oscar Wilde died in a room with tacky wallpaper. Approaching death did not change his attitude towards life. After saying: “Killer colors! One of us will have to leave here,” he left.
The American poet Walt Whitman once remarked: “The last words, of course, are not the best examples of what we have said in life - they do not have the former brilliance, lightness, passion; life, finally... But they are immensely valuable, because they seem to sum up all our chatter in all our previous lives."
In the face of death, everyone thinks and talks about their own things - some say goodbye to family and friends, others try to do what they love until the very end, and still others find nothing better than to utter some kind of barb at those present. For your attention - the dying statements of individuals who, one way or another, left their mark on history.
Gustav Mahler, composer. He died in his bed. IN last minutes throughout his life it seemed to him that he was conducting an orchestra and his final word was: “Mozart!”
Bessie Smith, singer: "I'm leaving, but I'm leaving in the name of the Lord."
Jean-Philippe Rameau, composer. The dying composer did not like the fact that the priest was singing psalms at his deathbed and he said: “Why the hell do I need all these songs, Holy Father? You are fake!
Jean-Paul Sartre, philosopher, writer. In the last minutes of his life, Sartre, turning to his beloved, Simone de Beauvoir, said: “I love you so much, my dear Beaver.”
Nostradamus, doctor, alchemist, astrologer. The thinker’s dying words, like many of his statements, turned out to be prophetic: “Tomorrow at dawn I will be gone.” The prediction came true.
Vladimir Nabokov, writer. Except literary activity Nabokov was interested in entomology, in particular the study of butterflies. His last words were: “Some butterfly has already taken flight.”
Marie Antoinette, Queen of France. Stepping on the foot of the executioner, who was leading her to the scaffold, the queen said with dignity: “Please excuse me, monsieur. I didn’t do it on purpose.”
Empress Elizaveta Petrovna extremely surprised the doctors when, half a minute before her death, she stood up on her pillows and, as always, threateningly, asked: “Am I still alive?!” But before the doctors had time to get scared, everything corrected itself.
Benjamin Franklin, politician, diplomat, scientist, journalist. When the daughter asked the 84-year-old seriously ill Franklin to lie down differently so that he could breathe easier, the old man, sensing an imminent end, grumpily said: “Nothing comes easy to a dying person.”
Charles "Lucky" Luciano, gangster. Luciano died while filming a documentary about Sicilian mafia. His dying phrase was: “One way or another, I want to get into the movies.” Last wish the mafioso was fulfilled - based on the life of Luciano, several feature films and documentaries, he was one of the few gangsters who died a natural death.
Arthur Conan Doyle, writer. The creator of Sherlock Holmes died in his garden from heart attack, at the age of 71. His last words were addressed to his beloved wife: “You are wonderful,” the writer said and died.
William Claude Fields, comedian, actor. Dying great American said to his mistress Carlotta Monti: “May God curse this whole damn world and everyone in it except you, Carlotta.”
Percy Granger, pianist, composer. On his deathbed the composer last time confessed to his wife: “You are the only one I wanted.”
Oscar McIntyre, journalist. When one of the most talented American journalists of the early 20th century was dying, he asked his wife, who turned away, unable to see her husband’s agony: “My curious one, please turn here. I like to admire you."
John Wayne, actor. Before he died, the 72-year-old actor, known as the “King of the Western,” found the strength to declare his love to his wife one last time: “I know who you are. You are my girl, I love you."
Ernest Hemingway, writer. On July 2, 1961, Hemingway said to his wife: “ Good night, kitty". Then he went to his room, and a few minutes later his wife heard a loud, abrupt sound - the writer committed suicide with a shot in the head.
Eugene O'Neill, playwright, writer. In the last minutes of his life, O’Neill exclaimed: “I knew it! I knew it! I was born in a hotel and I’m dying, damn it, in a hotel!” Eugene O'Neill was born in hotel room Broadway Hotel on October 16, 1888, and died at the Boston Hotel on November 27, 1953.
Josephine Baker, dancer, singer, actress. Josephine Baker knew how to have fun. All her life she gave people the joy of music and dance, and on the last night of her life, leaving another party, this extraordinary woman said goodbye to the guests: “You are young, but you behave like old people. You are boring."
Leonard Marx, comedian, actor, brother of Gaucho Marx. Before his death, one of the famous comedian brothers reminded his wife: “Darling, don’t forget what I asked you to do. Put a deck of cards and a pretty blonde in my coffin."
Wilson Mizner, playwright, entrepreneur. When Wilson, who was on his last legs, said, “Perhaps you want to talk to me?” the priest approached, Mizner, known for his sharp tongue, replied: “Why should I talk to you? I just spoke with your superiors."
Peter "Pistol Pete" Maravich, basketball player. The great American athlete collapsed with a heart attack during a basketball game, having only time to say: “I feel great.”
Joan Crawford, actress. With one foot in the grave, Joan turned to the housekeeper, who was reciting a prayer: “Damn it! Don’t you dare ask God to help me!”
Bo Diddley, singer, founder of rock and roll. Famous musician died while listening to the composition “Walk Around Heaven”, authored by American singer Patti LaBelle. According to eyewitnesses, before his death, Diddley said: “Wow!”
Charlie Chaplin, actor, screenwriter, composer, director. To the priest’s offer to pray that “the Lord would take his soul to himself”: “Why not? Besides, she still belongs to him.”
Mata Hari, dancer, spy. Standing against the wall waiting to be shot: “Everything is an illusion. I'm ready, boys!
Bob Marley, musician. Dying of cancer in an American hospital, the king of reggae told his sons Stephen and Ziggy: “Money can’t buy life.”
Frida Kahlo, artist: “I hope this is a joyful departure and I never come back here again.”
The world's most famous female artist suffered all her life from a spinal injury received in adolescence V car accident. Recent years she could no longer get out of bed. Even for the sake of going to your first personal exhibition in Mexico.
Boris Pasternak, writer: “Open the window.”
Academician Ivan Pavlov: “Academician Pavlov is busy. He's dying."
Count Leo Tolstoy said the last thing on his deathbed: “I would like to hear the gypsies - and I don’t need anything else!”
Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev on his deathbed uttered a strange thing: “Farewell, my dears, my whitish ones...”.
Dying, Honore de Balzac recalled one of the characters in his stories, the experienced doctor Bianchon: “He would have saved me...”.
Fyodor Tyutchev, poet: “What a torment that you can’t find a word to convey a thought.”
Somerset Maugham, writer: “Dying is a boring thing. Never do this!”
The last word of the executed Beria was short: “Beasts!”
“Burn does not mean refute!” – the dying words of Giordano Bruno.
"Stalin will come!" – the dying words of Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya.
The dying words attributed to Pavlov: “Academician Pavlov is busy. He's dying."
Peter the Great did not make a will regarding the heir. Dying, he ordered paper and a pen to be given, but he could only write: “Give everything...” - which gave rise to a long period of unrest and a struggle for power.
Lenin died with his mind darkened. He asked the table and chairs for forgiveness for his sins.
Count Leo Tolstoy said before his death: “I would like to hear the gypsies - and I don’t need anything else!”
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov before leaving for better world, asked for champagne, tasted it and said with a happy look: “It’s been a while since I drank champagne.” Then he lay down on the sofa and said in German: “Ich sterbe” - “I’m dying.” He died as a true doctor, stating the fact of the death of his patient, whom he in this case it was himself.
Pushkin’s last words were said in French: “I must put my house in order” - “Il faut que je derange ma maison.”
The great Russian thinker Vasily Vasilyevich Rozanov. A completely different situation. 1919 Russia is engulfed in the nightmare of revolution and civil war. A hungry writer and philosopher, who created books that will be studied by posterity, is unable to think about the eternal and great before his death and mutters only one thing: “Bread and butter! Sour cream!
Nicholas I, the mighty Tsar, whom ungrateful descendants will remember only as “Nicholas Palkin,” died with extraordinary dignity. Knowing that his days were numbered, he, having received the Holy Mysteries, valiantly endured severe pain, and when his son Alexander was brought to him, he finally said: “Learn to die. Keep them all in your fist!” He could not know that the death of his son would be terrible - Alexander II, who was blown up by a terrorist, would be brought to Winter Palace with his legs torn off, bleeding and unconscious.
The famous English surgeon Joseph Green, dying, measured his pulse as a doctor's habit. “The pulse is gone,” he managed to say before his death.
Beethoven's last words on March 26, 1827 were: “Applaud, friends, the comedy is over.”
Winston Churchill towards the end was very tired of life and left for another world with the following phrase: “How tired I am of all this!”
Alexandre Dumas: “So I won’t know how it all ends.”
Alexander Blok: “Russia ate me like a stupid pig of its own.”
Saltykov-Shchedrin: “Is that you, fool?”
Queen Marie Antoinette, climbing the scaffold, stumbled and stepped on the executioner’s foot: “Please forgive me, monsieur, I did it by accident.”
Before his death, Balzac remembered one of his literary heroes, the skilled physician Bianchon, and said: “He would have saved me.”
Mata Hari blew a kiss to the soldiers aiming at her with the words: “I’m ready, boys.”
Yagoda, People's Commissar of the NKVD, said before his death: “There must be a God. He is punishing me for my sins."
Many of us would like to leave a mark on history and know that we will be remembered even when we are gone. But even the final chord must be played perfectly. However, since we don’t know when that very hour will come, we won’t have time to think of what to say. But some apparently succeeded. I wonder how some famous personalities didn’t make a mistake even on your own last moment. Some of the quotes below are quite funny, others are brilliant with wisdom.
Winston Churchill
Even when he passed away, the British Prime Minister did not change his dry wit. Churchill left this world, saying that he was “bored” here.
Joan Crawford
Crawford's characteristic harshness did not leave her even in her dying hour. According to her housekeeper, before her death Joan said: “Don’t you dare ask God to help me.”
Buddy Rich
But Buddy Rich managed to joke before his death. He died in 1987 after surgery, and his last words were in response to a nurse asking if he was allergic to anything. The musician replied that it was country music.
Pancho Villa
The rebel, one of the leaders of the Mexican Revolution, clearly wanted to say something epic before his death. Otherwise, why would he tell reporters, while dying from a bullet, to say that he "said something"?
Arthur Conan Doyle
Chekhov was right when he spoke about brevity. Arthur Conan Doyle uttered only two words, but they were so memorable. They were addressed to his wife and sounded like "You are beautiful."
George Harrison
Real wisdom was spoken by George Harrison before his death. His words were: "Love one another."
James French
The dying remarks of executed criminals are always recorded, although they rarely deserve attention. James French is an exception. This murderer was executed in the electric chair. His words became the headline for many subsequent articles: "French fries!" (“french fries”, but literally “toasted French”).
V.S. Fields
Before his death, the comedian, like the author of Sherlock Holmes, turned to his beloved. But his statement is much more interesting: “Damn the whole world and everyone in it, except you, Carlotta.”
Chico Marks
And Marx was among those who turned to their soulmate. Chico gave her peculiar instructions: to place “a deck of cards, a hockey stick and a cute blonde” in his coffin.
Groucho Marx
Marx's brother, Groucho, was a witty man. Dying, he said: “This is no way to live!”
Bing Crosby
There are also those who, looking back at their lives, remember only the good things. Crosby, for example, said, “That was a great game of golf!”
Voltaire
Voltaire was not religious and did not change his beliefs even on his deathbed. When the priest asked him to renounce the devil, the philosopher said that now was “not the time to make new enemies.”
Leonardo Da Vinci
The problem with being a perfectionist is that you are never satisfied with your work, even when you are dying. So Da Vinci expressed himself self-critically: “I offended God and people, because my work is not as high quality as it should be.”
Ramo
Once a composer, always a composer. That's why Rameau's last words contained complaints about singing in his honor: "You are out of tune."
Nostradamus
The fortuneteller was not mistaken in his dying words. When he said, “Tomorrow I won’t be here anymore,” he turned out to be absolutely right.
Mozart
Poetic words are just in the spirit of a true creator. "The taste of death is on my lips. I feel something not from this earth."
Marie Antoinette
The famous queen of France ended her life on the guillotine, great figure, the idol of many women. While climbing the scaffold, Marie Antoinette stepped on her executioner's foot. That's why her dying utterance: "Forgive me, monsignor" (orig. “Pardonnez-moi, monsieur”)
Jack Daniel
Jack Daniel had the perfect parting words. Creator of the popular alcoholic drink famous brand could not say otherwise than: “Pour the last one, please.”
