 The purpose of a funeral service is to comfort the living. It is important at a funeral to display excessive grief. This will show others how kind-hearted and loving you are and their improved opinion of you will be very comforting. --Modern Manners (1983) by P. J. O'Rourke, author and satirist (November 13, 1947 – February 14, 2022) Here is CANA’s annual end-of-the year look at the many ways we opt to remember the famous people we’ve lost. For the celebrities who are the focus of this post, remembrance may mean televised concerts, museum retrospectives, and moments of silence in a packed stadium—but it also includes obituaries, flowers, music, and the people who cared about them talking about what made each of their lives special. These are the common things we all do to celebrate a life, grieve a death, and find comfort in one another, whether there are 3 or 3,000,000 people gathering. As you read, we encourage you to consider the many ways there are to remember a life you want to memorialize—be it a donation in someone's name to a favorite charity, a custom flower arrangement in a meaningful design, or a cremation keepsake necklace with a personal message. Each is a way of capturing a significant memory. As funeral professionals often say, “Memorial options are as unique as the life lived.” That these well-known individuals chose chose cremation speaks to how it can facilitate the story-telling process. Celebrity entries appear in alphabetical order. SHINZO ABESEPTEMBER 21, 1954 – JULY 8, 2022  Shinzo Abe was first elected to Japan’s political office in 1993. Abe occupied several governmental seats before becoming Prime Minister in 2006 and again in 2012. The longest-serving Prime Minister in Japanese history, he retired during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, claiming he was in poor health. In July of 2022, Abe was campaigning on behalf of his political party when he was assassinated – a rare and shocking event in an otherwise peaceful country with strict gun laws. Abe’s family held a private service before his cremation on July 12th, and people lined the streets as the hearse drove from the temple to the crematory. As is traditional, his urn was then kept at home for a period of mourning before burial. On September 27th, Abe's widow carried his urn from their home to the state memorial service. State funerals are rare in Japan and Abe’s controversial legacy led to nationwide protests, but Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wanted to honor Abe’s tenure in office and presence on the national stage. More than 4,300 gathered in the arena for the first state memorial since 1967, including leaders from across the world. photo source POOL / VIA REUTERS - The Japan Times: Japan bids farewell to former PM Shinzo Abe with controversial state funeral mike bossyJANUARY 22, 1957 – APRIL 15, 2022  Michael “Mike” Bossy started his National Hockey League career by winning the 1978 Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year and broke the previous record for most goals scored by a rookie. He spent his entire career with the New York Islanders, helping them win their four consecutive Stanley Cup wins from 1980-1983. Recounting the rest of his awards and achievements is best left to other publications, but he is still considered one of the best scorers in the league. In 1991, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and then named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history in 2017. After his retirement, he moved to broadcasting but stepped away after his lung cancer diagnosis last year. In his memory, the New York Islanders wore a memorial patch on their sweaters featuring his No. 22 which was permanently retired in 1992. At their game against the Montreal Canadiens in Bossy’s native Montreal on the night of his death, the arena held a tribute and observed a moment of silence in his honor. His funeral, packed with hundreds of fans, friends, family, and hockey personalities featured his jersey, signed by fellow hockey greats, and his number in flower arrangements. FridaAPRIL 12, 2009 – NOVEMBER 15, 2022  During her career in the search and rescue division of the Mexican Navy, Frida assisted first responders in major disasters in Haiti and Ecuador and across Mexico. The canine’s heroism during the 2017 Puebla earthquake made her a symbol of Mexico’s resilience and a celebrity across the world. During her career, Frida helped rescue 12 people and recovered 43 others, whose remains were returned to their loved ones. In June 2019, Frida swapped her signature goggles and boots for a toy. Even in retirement, she continued her service by training other dogs before she died on November 15, 2022. #HastaSiempreFrida trended with videos, fanart, and posts, thanking her for her life-saving heroics. On November 24, 2022, the Navy held a memorial service attended by Frida’s human and canine colleagues. Her urn was placed in the base of her statue at Naval headquarters, serving as a monument to her memory. taylor hawkinsFEBRUARY 17, 1972 – MARCH 25, 2022  Oliver Taylor Hawkins was the drummer for rock artists like Sass Jordan and Alanis Morrisette before finding a permanent home with The Foo Fighters. For 25 years, Hawkins played the drums and contributed vocals and songwriting to the band’s success. Hawkins died while touring with The Foo Fighters in Colombia, just hours before they were to take the stage at the Festival Estereo Picnic in Bogotá. That night, the stage turned into a candlelight vigil instead, and the screen projected “Taylor Hawkins Por Siempre.” In his hometown of Laguna Beach, California a week later, fans gathered in his honor to host a drum circle on the beach where he would surf. On September 3rd, The Foo Fighters and Hawkins’ family hosted a tribute concert in London, live-streamed to the world. Their first live performance since his death, the event lasted more than six hours and featured artists like Sir Elton John and especially his fellow drummers from Blink-182, The Pretenders and Metallica. Afterward, at the band’s hometown event on September 27, Alanis Morrisette, Joan Jett were featured, along with Hawkins’ 16-year-old son Shane, who drummed for The Foo Fighters’ “My Hero.” ARTIS LEON “COOLIO” IVEY JR.AUGUST 1, 1963 – SEPTEMBER 28, 2022  Artis Leon Ivey, Jr. topped charts and won Grammy Awards as Coolio in the 1990s for his rap and hip-hop tracks. Millennials will also know him for the theme song for Kenan & Kel and “Rollin’ with the Homies” featured in Clueless, but “Gangsta’s Paradise” was his breakthrough success internationally, earning Coolio awards and a rare billion-plus YouTube views. After Coolio’s unexpected death due to cardiac arrest, his family held a private memorial service with custom airbrushed shirts: "He wanted a party and for everybody to celebrate his life, play music, just fill up the room and smile, have a good time.” Each of the artist’s children will receive a keepsake necklace with his cremated remains, inscribed with a personal message from their father. As his eldest son explained, “our father always prepared us for things that might happen. My father was a very spiritual person. He didn’t fear death at all. It was another step to paradise.” THIERRY MUGLERDECEMBER 21, 1948 – JANUARY 23, 2022  Manfred Thierry Mugler launched the Mugler fashion house in the 1970s. Known for his exaggerated approach to haute couture, Thierry Mugler designed for David Bowie, Beyoncé, Demi Moore, Kim Kardashian, and Cirque du Soleil. He revolutionized the perfume industry with Angel in 1992, as a new category of gourmand fragrance. After stepping back from leading Mugler, he reclaimed the name Manfred Mugler as a bodybuilder following a disfiguring motorcycle accident in 2010. In September 2021, le Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris launched a retrospective exhibit of his career in Thierry Mugler: Couturissime in his honor during fashion week, and the Mugler fashion house hosted a star-studded opening party. By contrast, his funeral was private, restricted to his closest family and friends, and lacking in any theatrical elements. The service was a “thanksgiving for life” and left an emotional imprint on those who attended. His urn was placed in a private mini-columbarium in Paris’s Cimetière du Père Lachaise. DAME OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHNSEPTEMBER 26, 1948 – AUGUST 8, 2022  Olivia Newton-John considered becoming a veterinarian until the coursework steered her toward the performing arts instead. An actor and singer from her youth, she found success as a country star before the movie musical Grease established her as a pop icon who could pull off a yellow poodle skirt or tight leather pants with equal grace. Her multiple cancer diagnoses spurred her to open the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne, Australia in 2012, dedicated to treatment, wellness, and research. In recent years, her own cancer returned and spread, but she remained active in supporting her various causes. Newton-John’s family held a private service just before what would have been her 74th birthday. In an interview, she explained that she wanted her cremated remains scattered on her property in Byron Bay, Australia, the same place where her mother and sister’s ashes had been dispersed, so they would all be together. She hoped that some portions would also be scattered in California and other places that meant something to her, but admitted that “I don’t think I’ve really thought about it that deeply. We all should.” A state memorial is being planned for Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens, a favorite spot of Newton-John’s, where her mother already has a memorial bench. NICHELLE NICHOLSDECEMBER 28, 1932 – JULY 30, 2022  Grace Dell “Nichelle” Nichols broke barriers as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura in the original Star Trek series from 1966 to 1969. As a black woman leading the communications department and fourth in command of a spaceship in the 23rd century, Nichols’ represented what the contemporary Civil Rights Movement strove to achieve. For that reason, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said Star Trek was the only show his children were allowed to stay up to watch. When her role concluded, she continued her acting career, as well as assisting NASA in recruiting women and people of color to join the space program. Suitably, Nichols will visit the final frontier as part of the Celestis Enterprise Flight in early 2023 aboard the United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. A portion of her cremated remains will be sent to the far reaches of space with other memorials and messages. Making the trip with Nichols is Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry who died in August 2021; "the First Lady of Star Trek," his wife Majel Barrett Roddenberry who played Nurse Christine Chapel and died in 2008; and James Doohan who played Lt. Commander Montgomery "Scotty" Scott who died in 2005. A lock of hair DeForest Kelley’s hair will also be on board. Kelley played Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy and died in 1999. ANDRÉ LEON TALLEYOCTOBER 16, 1948 – JANUARY 18, 2022  André Leon Talley was a fixture in the fashion world, standing out from the crowd because of his 6’6” frame, signature personal style, and because he was frequently the only Black man in the room. Talley broke barriers as creative director of American Vogue—the only Black person to hold that position. Talley worked with other fashion publications and served as a mentor to many. No stranger to grief, Talley found comfort in food after the deaths of his grandmother and fashion mentor Diana Vreeland, and changed his bespoke suits for caftans and capes. In his memoir, he remarks “Caftans are my wellness retreat… I intend to leave in my will that I am to be cremated in a caftan.” Talley’s loved ones waited to remember him during his favorite season, spring, with a memorial service shared by more than 700 fans, friends, and family. While the style icon never specified plans for his own service, his mourners could not pass up an opportunity to share memories about this fashion leader. Filled with flowers, music, and stories, a two-hour service celebrated his life as his loved ones remembered him. While this author cannot be certain Talley was cremated, it is believed he rejoins his grandmother, Mrs. Bennie Frances Roberson Davis, with a new monument added to her gravesite reading Beloved Grandson Andre. ARCHBISHOP DESMOND MPILO TUTUOCTOBER 7, 1931 – DECEMBER 26, 2021  Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu lent his voice and pulpit to the civil rights movement in South Africa to end apartheid. His legacy was cemented in 1984 when he won the Nobel Peace Prize "for his role as a unifying leader figure in the non-violent campaign to resolve the problem of apartheid in South Africa." In his later years, he continued his activism on behalf of causes such as marriage equality and world peace. Tutu’s death made headlines, not just for his passing but also for his disposition. To carry his values in life into his death, he requested simplicity at his state funeral on January 1. The only flowers were a bouquet of carnations for his family and his casket was made of unvarnished pine. He also chose alkaline hydrolysis, sometimes known as water cremation. This is a relatively new disposition method, particularly in South Africa. Tutu’s cremated remains were placed behind the pulpit of St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa, where he served as Archbishop for 35 years. betty whiteJANUARY 17, 1922 – DECEMBER 31, 2021  Betty White’s television career spanned more than seven decades, leading to a Guinness world-record for the longest TV career for a female entertainer and recognition as The First Lady of Television. Across all formats and genres—with comedy, drama, game shows, and soap operas via television, film, and radio—Betty White covered a lot of Hollywood ground and became an international treasure. On January 17, 2022, she and the world would have celebrated her 100th birthday, with a special film retrospective. Unfortunately, she died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 99.
What had been planned as a party instead became an international memorial service as the “Betty White: A Celebration” film expanded to more than 1,500 theaters. While her funeral was private and she asked that her final resting place not be disclosed, her hometown of Oak Park, Illinois took the opportunity to commemorate her legacy. On January 15th, to avoid conflicts with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the village hosted “Betty White Day” with Cindy Fee, who originally voiced the Golden Girls theme, leading attendees in singing, “Thank You for Being a Friend,” cutouts of the star for photo opps, and a pet adoption event in support of White’s lifelong cause of animal welfare. Across the world, people joined the #BettyWhiteChallenge to donate to nonprofit organizations that support animal causes, an effort which is estimated to have raised more than $12.7 million in her name. Comments are closed.
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