History Main / DeathbedConfession

Then, having spoken his last words on earth, Bob will suffer from one last fit of his IncurableCoughOfDeath and give up the ghost.

Avoid real life examples. Many celebrities have accumulated any number of myths and rumors of {{Deathbed Confession}}s. Like Darwin[[hottip:**:"Lady Hope" claimed to have heard a recantation of his theory of evolution. It is unconfirmed.]]. And probably Hitler and Stalin. And probably JayLeno. [[UpToEleven Even though he isn't dead.]]

* [[spoiler: Kriem]] from TigerAndBunny gives one to [[spoiler: Barnaby]] befoe commiting suicide via [[spoiler: cutting off her own life support]].
* [[spoiler: Nicole]] from RoseOfVersailles explains the truth of [[spoiler: Rosalie]]'s origins as she lays dying [[spoiler: after being hit by a carriage.]] For even more irony, iut turns out that [[spoiler: the woman who wnet in said carriage... was Rosalie's birth mom.]]

* In AugustRush, as he's dying, Lyla's father confesses that [[spoiler:the son [[FakingTheDead she'd thought had died]] in utero was really alive, and he'd secretly given the child up for adoption so Lyla could continue her career as an esteemed musician. [[JerkAss WOW.]]]]
* Variant (as it's only a close call) happens in ''AlmostFamous'', as the plane goes through a thunderstorm. The new manager hit a man in Michigan, the former one embezzled some of the band's money, the guitarist and the singer slept with each other's wives, William confessed his love for Penny and [[TheQuietOne the drummer]] [[CrowningMomentOfFunny says his only line]]: [[ComingOutStory "Fuck it! I'm gay!"]]

* In OliverTwist, [[spoiler: Old Sally]] tells [[spoiler: Mrs. Corney]] that she [[spoiler: stole some jewelry (namely, a locket and a ring) from Oliver's mother, Agnes Fleeming, right after she fell victim to DeathByChildbirth. Sally dies begging Mrs. Corney to give the jewels to Oliver; she instead gives them to his half-brother Edward aka Monks, who throws them to the Thames river.]]
* In {{El Filibusterismo}}, Simoun [[ItWasHisSled reveals his past as Juan Crisostomo Ibarra]] and what happened in the 13 year time skip between this book and its [[NoliMeTangere prequel]], to Padre Florentino as he dies from intentionally ingested poison.

* Mocked on ''{{Frasier}}'' when Martin pretends to give one regarding some stolen money he recovered on a bust (I think), but "dies" mid-sentence -- Niles was recording a video for future generations.
* An old woman attempts this in DesperateHousewives, trying to reveal some dark secret to her grand-niece. But she gets interrupted by the girl's mother and the woman dies before ever getting to tell the truth.
* An episode of LawAndOrder begins with a mugging that leads to a shootout that ends with a deathbed confession to a murder. Fontana, who convicted someone of the crime, doesn't take it well.
* As you would expect given their tendencies for deceit and paranoia, the [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Cardassian people]] have an entire ritual devoted to this known as the ''Shri-tal''. A Cardassian near death will tell all of their closely-held secrets to a family member, so that those secrets may be used against their enemies.

* [[http://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-26572/phouka+The+Penitent+Man.htm The Penitent Man]] A BuffyTheVampireSlayer and ThePretender crossover, this includes a very long example as well as this line: “No wonder deathbed confessions get their own category on tv tropes,” Willow muttered.

* As you would expect given their tendencies for deceit and paranoia, the [[StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Cardassian people]] have an entire ritual devoted to this known as the ''Shri-tal''. A Cardassian near death will tell all of their closely-held secrets to a family member, so that those secrets may be used against their enemies.

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* In ''{{Eragon}}'', [[spoiler:Brom]] tells Eragon on his deathbed that he's [[spoiler: a former Dragon Rider]].

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Batman obtains one from a dying criminal that relates to his parents' murder near the beginning of the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' episode "Chill of the Night". He does by posing as a priest performing the last rites, and the episode makes no effort to hide the questionable morality of such an act (it's an early clue that Batman's quest for vengeance is leading him toward a slippery slope).
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[[folder: Western Animation]]

* Saul Karath in KnightsOftheOldRepublic uses his last words to undermine Carth's fragile trust in his companions by letting him know his HeterosexualLifePartner (if you're playing male) or LoveInterest (if playing female) is [[spoiler: Revan]]. Nastier because Saul was the one who broke Carth's ability to trust in the first place...

* Batman obtains one from a dying criminal that relates to his parents' murder near the beginning of the ''BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' episode "Chill of the Night". He does by posing as a priest performing the last rites, and the episode makes no effort to hide the questionable morality of such an act (it's an early clue that Batman's quest for vengeance is leading him toward a slippery slope).

* In the ''DoctorWho'' episode "Gridlock", The Face of Boe tells the Doctor "You Are Not Alone" [[spoiler: in reference to The Master still existing trillions of years into the future as Professor [[FunWithAcronyms Yana]]]].

* Batman obtains one from a dying criminal that relates to the night of his parents' murder in the ''BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' episode "Chill of the Night". He does by posing as a priest performing the last rites, and the episode makes no effort to hide the questionable morality of such an act (it's an early clue that Batman's quest for vengeance is leading him toward a slippery slope).

* Batman obtains one from a dying criminal that relates to the night of his parents' murder in the ''BatmanThe BraveAndTheBold'' episode "Chill of the Night". He does by posing as a priest performing the last rites, and the episode makes no effort to hide the questionable morality of such an act (it's an early clue that Batman's quest for vengeance is leading him toward a slippery slope).

* Batman obtains one from a dying criminal that relates to the night of his parents' murder in the ''BatmanBraveAndTheBold'' episode "Chill of the Night". He does by posing as a priest performing the last rites, and the episode makes no effort to hide the questionable morality of such an act (it's an early clue that Batman's quest for vengeance is leading him toward a slippery slope).

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A LastRequest, related to the confession, may follow/

Overlaps considerably with FamousLastWords and FinalSpeech. Differs from a FacingTheBulletsOneLiner in that the latter is generally spoken under duress, while this occurs in a (relatively) peaceful setting.