Final Words To Remember
For some of the most influential and famous people in history, their last words range from downright depressing to poetic to hilarious. Is this how you would choose to say goodbye?
Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra's last two words were surprisingly devastating: "I'm losing."
Leonardo da Vinci
If there was anybody who was a little too hard on themselves, it was Leonardo da Vinci... of all people. His last words were, “I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.”
Austrian National Library, Picryl
George Orwell
The author George Orwell passed away when he was just 46. The last words he ever wrote were, "At 50, everyone has the face he deserves."
Margaret Sanger
Margaret Sanger was a birth control advocate. Her final words were, “A party! Let’s have a party.”
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Even on his deathbed, the composer Jean-Philippe Rameau still knew how to speak his mind... A song was sung for him as he lay dying, and his response was iconic: “What the devil do you mean to sing to me, priest? You are out of tune.”
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov might be known for his famous novels—but he was also an entomologist. He had a special interest in butterflies, which makes his last words quite poignant: “A certain butterfly is already on the wing.”
Marie Antoinette
Sentenced to death, Marie Antoinette accidentally stepped on her executioner's foot as she approached the guillotine. Reportedly her last words were, "Pardonnez-moi, monsieur. Je ne l'ai pas fait exprès," which translates to "Pardon me, sir, I did not do it on purpose."
Sir Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton's was a big thinker and his (many) last words were epic: “I don’t know what I may seem to the world. But as to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore and diverting myself now and then in finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than the ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.”
Go off Newton.
Wellcome Images, CC-BY-SA-4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Harriet Tubman
The American abolitionist Harriet Tubman passed of pneumonia in 1913. As she lay dying, her family sang to her. Though some have said her final words were, "Swing low, sweet chariot," other sources claim that she said something after this: “Give my love to the churches. Tell the women to stand firm. I go to prepare a place for you.”
Weinchrist, CC-BY-SA-4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Humphrey Bogart
Actor Humphrey Bogart was married to actress Lauren Bacall. Right before he passed, Bacall was heading out to get their children. Bogart told her, "Goodbye, kid. Hurry back."
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway took his own life, but prior to doing so, he said three last words to his wife: "Goodnight, my kitten."
National Archives and Records Administration, Picryl
Gustav Mahler
According to his wife, the composer Gustav Mahler's final words were, “Mozart—Mozart!”
Joseph Wright
Who edited the English Dialect Dictionary? A linguist named Joseph Wright. This makes his last word incredibly fitting: "Dictionary."
Buddy Rich
Buddy Rich was a jazz drummer. In 1987, right before going into surgery, a nurse asked him, "Is there anything you can't take?" Rich's last words were downright shady. He quipped, "Yeah, country music."
Percy Grainger
Australian composer Percy Grainger's final words were for his wife, Ella: “You’re the only one I like.”
Bessie Smith
The blues singer Bessie Smith said, "I’m going, but I’m going in the name of the Lord.”
Nostradamus
“Tomorrow, at sunrise, I shall no longer be here.” Well... he wasn't wrong.
Wellcome Images, CC-BY-SA-2.0, Wikimedia Commons
James W. Rodgers
James W. Rodgers was sentenced to execution for being a murderer. In his final moments, he faced down firing squad. When asked if he had a last request, his response was, "Bring me a bullet-proof vest."
Davis, Frank C. , CC-BY-SA-4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The author of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle passed away in his garden. His last three words were for his wife: "You are wonderful."
Walter Benington, Wikimedia Commons
Michael Landon
Michael Landon, known for his role in Little House on the Prairie, passed in 1991—and his last moments were heart-wrenching. His family was present, and it was his son who assured him that it was time to move on. In response, the actor said, “You’re right. It’s time. I love you all.”
Robert Lachman, CC-BY-SA-4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Donald O'Connor
Many know Donald O'Connor best for his role in Singin' in the Rain. He was a natural comedian, and on his deathbed, he had one more quip in him. He told his family, “I’d like to thank the Academy for my lifetime achievement award that I will eventually get.”
As of today, the Academy still hasn't given him one.
Studio publicity still, Wikimedia Commons
Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock, the "Master of Suspense," said, “One never knows the ending. One has to die to know exactly what happens after death, although Catholics have their hopes.”
Groucho Marx
As he lay dying, the comedian and actor Groucho Marx said, "This is no way to live!"
Derek Jarman
Derek Jarman was an artist and filmmaker who was diagnosed with AIDS. He passed at the age of 52, and his last words were, "I want the world to be filled with white fluffy duckies.”
Gorup de Besanez, CC-BY-SA-3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Sir Winston Churchill
The famous British Prime Minister's last words were, "I'm bored with it all."
Emily Dickinson
True to form, Emily Dickinson's parting words were incredibly poetic: “I must go in, for the fog is rising.”
Amherst College, Wikimedia Commons
James Brown
Known as the "Godfather of Soul" and "Mr.Dynamite," James Brown's final words were, "I'm going away tonight."
Joseph Henry Green
Joseph Henry Green was a surgeon. He uttered his very last word while he was monitoring his pulse: "Stopped."
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford was one of Old Hollywood's finest actress's. Apparently, Crawford screamed at her housekeeper as she lay dying, "Damn it! Don't you dare ask God to help me!"
Josephine Baker
A party had been held in Josephine Baker's honor—but little did the actress know, this would not only be her last party, but her final night on earth. As she exited the festivities, she reportedly said, “Oh, you young people act like old men. You are no fun.”
