Celebrities who have planned their own funerals

As planning your own funeral becomes more popular, we see more and more celebrities publicly sharing the details of their own send-offs. 

Here are some examples of celebrities’ funeral plans, showcasing the variety of funeral ceremonies and how one size never fits all.

Joanna Lumley

Joanna Lumley is known to have a no-nonsense attitude, and this also applies to her views on funeral planning. An interview in 2014 revealed that she plans to be buried in a cardboard coffin, inspired by her parents doing the same. She wants her coffin to contain “nice bits and pieces” like books, feathers and notes.

Joanna is a staunch supporter of planning your funeral and writing a will, to make things easier for family.

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali’s funeral was a huge public event, but you may still be surprised to learn that he took 10 years to plan it with a circle of close friends. All of the details were written down in a document known simply as The Book. You can start writing down your own funeral plans by downloading our free Funeral Wishes Planner.

The funeral included a procession throughout his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, including his childhood home and the museum and street both named after him. There was also a eulogy delivered by long-time friend Bill Clinton to an arena of 15,000 people. The pallbearers included Will Smith and Lennox Lewis.

Despite such a big ceremony, the grave itself only has a small marker, and the burial was in accordance with Muslim tradition.

Prince Philip

As you might expect, Prince Philip’s funeral was grandiose and meticulously-planned.

The funeral plan, code-named Operation Forth Bridge, had to be modified to fit Covid-19 regulations; this included a limit of 30 attendees, not allowing attendees to sing, no public procession, and advising the public against leaving tributes outside Buckingham Palace. Despite the limitations, the funeral was still fit for royalty. If you’d like your own funeral to be a grand event, take a look at our Bells & Whistles funeral plans.

Prince Philip lay in rest in Windsor Castle, before being transported in a custom green Land Rover to King George VI’s Memorial Chapel, where he was buried alongside family members.

He had a military funeral at St George’s Chapel.  The military band played various hymns and the English national anthem. His coffin was draped with his personal standard, and topped with  his naval cap,  sword, and a wreath of white roses and lilies with a handwritten note from Her Majesty The Queen.

Kim Cattrall

Sex And The City actress Kim Cattrall may have spent most of her life in the USA and Canada, but she plans to be buried in her birthplace of Liverpool. She revealed in 2016 that she plans to be buried in her family’s grave in the Holy Trinity Churchyard, and has had her name engraved on the headstone already... which sparked a bit of a controversy with some distant relatives.

While preparing for your funeral is a great idea, make sure your family is on board with your plans beforehand!

To find out more about why documenting your funeral wishes is so important, read this.

'Loose Women'

Sarah Harding

Former Girls Aloud member, Sarah Harding, passed away from cancer in September 2021.

In March 2021, she released her autobiography Hear Me Out, part of which discusses her funeral plans. She revealed that she wanted a big party “to say thank you and goodbye” and a charity gala with donations going to cancer research. In line with this, all profits from her final single Wear It Like A Crown are being donated to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, which manages the hospital where she was treated.

Sarah also showed a sense of humour in funeral planning, saying that her headstone would be engraved with the acronym “FFS”.

The Kardashians

In an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians (S7 E14), Kris buys a burial plot at celebrity cemetery Hollywood Forever and invites her daughters to help her plan more details of her funeral.

The episode shows her doing a lot of research such as trying out caskets, buying multiple plots for other family members, and even considering buying a mausoleum on a lake. Regardless of your opinions about the Kardashians, we think that this level of planning is something that everyone should try to keep up with!

The episode also brings up an important point: planning your funeral can be difficult for your family to get involved with. Kris’ daughters express their discomfort with thinking about their mother’s death and tell her that they don’t want to be involved. Most importantly, both sides come to an agreement. They understand that funeral planning is important to avoid future problems, but that it shouldn’t cause unnecessary upset now.

For our advice regarding how to discuss funeral planning with your family, click here.

Dame Barbara Windsor DBE

Another celebrity funeral impacted by Covid-19 was for Barbara Windsor - the nation's favourite bubbly blonde actress of Carry On film and Eastenders fame.  Despite the restrictions, she was still given a send-off that paid full homage to her long and iconic acting career. 

The service before her cremation at Golders Green, London, was attended by British actress Anna Karen (best known for playing Olive in the sitcom On The Buses), actors Christopher Biggins and Ross Kemp, comedian and children's author David Walliams, comedian and Great British Bake Off co-presenter Matt Lucas, journalist and TV presenter Jane Moore, and Eastenders actor Jamie Borthwick. 

The venue was decorated with floral arrangements spelling “Babs”, “Saucy” and “The Dame”, and a portrait painted in the style of the Queen Vic’s logo. Her coffin was brought in to On The Sunny Side Of The Street by Frank Sinatra, and the service featured a recording from Sparrows Can’t Sing. There was also a JustGiving page made in her honour which raised nearly £150,000 for Alzheimer’s Research UK.

Doris Day

American actress, Doris Day, is another example of a celebrity who didn’t have a funeral. Her specific request was to have “no funeral, no memorial and no marker”. Instead, she encouraged fans wanting to commemorate her life to donate to the Doris Day Animal Foundation.

Sir Ian McKellen

Ian McKellen’s funeral plans pay tribute to his iconic acting career.

There will be a celebratory memorial service in a theatre with free admission. He said in 2018 that he was still working on the plan, but once he’s done he’d like a “dress rehearsal” so he can see it himself.