- These people really stayed true to themselves right until the bitter end.
We’d all like to go out after saying something particularly touching, badass, or funny. The problem with that is that you can never know what your last words are going to be.
Some people, however, manage to do it and show off their wit and personality even with their dying breath. Here are 10 cases where a person’s last words really nailed down who they were in life.
1) “Either the wallpaper goes or I go.” – Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde is one of the most well-known Irish poets in history. He garnered fame not only with his literary works, but his flamboyant lifestyle and impeccable taste in anything from clothing to interior design.
Unfortunately, Wilde ended his days in poverty, and the room he died in clearly didn’t meet his standards. Sadly for him, he went before the wallpaper.
2) “One last drink, please.” – Jasper “Jack” Daniel
You probably know American businessman Jasper Daniel better by his nickname Jack, under which he founded the famous Jack Daniel’s brand of Tennessee whiskey. The booze purveyor died from blood poisoning in 1911.
There’s a famous story that his death was caused by a gangrenous toe, which he got after kicking his safe in a fit of rage. While that’s not true, the man still appropriately wanted to down one more shot of Bourbon before expiring.
3) “Tomorrow, at sunrise, I shall no longer be here.” – Nostradamus
Everybody knows Nostradamus. The French astrologer is most famous for his book Les Prophéties, which contains 942 cryptic poems that supposedly have predicted several future events.
Say what you will about his other predictions, but he was spot on with this one. Nostradamus uttered his last words on the evening of July 1, 1566, and he was indeed dead by the next morning.
4) “I am about to – or I am going to – die; either expression is correct.” – Dominique Bouhours
Here’s a person you might not have heard of before. Dominique Bouhours was a French priest and grammarian, whose works are often celebrated as the most significant commentaries on French grammar.
He really was devoted to his craft. Bouhours kept Grammar Nazi’ing it up right until he breathed his last.
5) “Lady, you shot me.” – Sam Cooke
Same Cooke is one of the most influential soul musicians in history, to the point of being dubbed the King of Soul. Unfortunately, he met a premature end.
Motel owner Bertha Franklin shot Cooke through the heart under dubious circumstances in 1964. Cooke spoke his last words right after the lady in question had indeed shot him.
6) “Mom, I’m dying.” – Brittany Murphy
Brittany Murphy was an American actress, whom you may have seen in films like Sin City, 8 Mile, or Uptown Girls. In 2009, unfortunately, she caught pneumonia, which was exacerbated by anemia and the multiple over-the-counter drugs she’d taken to try and treat herself.
She said the words quoted above as she was, in fact, dying. Tragic as it is, she wasn’t wrong.
7) “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.” – John Sedgwick
General John Sedgwick served in the Union army during the American Civil War. On May 9, 1864, he and his troops were engaged in the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House in Virginia.
Just before his death, Sedgwick was berating his troops for ducking out of the enemy’s line of fire. Turns out, the Confederate soldiers may not have been able to hit an elephant, but they sure were able to hit him.
8) “It’s stopped.” – Joseph Green
Joseph Henry Green was an English surgeon who also became the literary executor of the famous poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Despite this literary sidestep, Green practiced and taught medicine his entire life.
He remained true to his clinical nature to the last. After suffering a seizure in 1863, he was taking his own pulse when he spoke the quoted line.
9) “F*** you!” – 2pac
Tupac Shakur, better known by his stage name 2pac, remains one of the most influential rappers of all time. His list of classic rap releases is rivaled only by his rap sheet and lawsuits.
During his life, 2pac really wasn’t a fan of law enforcement officials, and he wasn’t about to change his opinion as he lay dying. He spoke his last words to a cop trying to resuscitate him after the drive-by shooting that killed him.
10) “Oh Lord, forgive the misprints.” – Andrew Bradford
Andrew Bradford was an American printer and published. During his life, he ran several newspapers and at one point employed a journalist called Benjamin Franklin. Yeah, that Benjamin Franklin.
Bradford was never destined to become one of the Founding Fathers, but he sure was dedicated to his profession. Even on his deathbed, he lamented all the typos he’d made over his career.