| 1 | %% |
| 2 | %% |
| 3 | %% The examples have been alphabetized. Please put any new example in its proper place in the folder rather than at the end. |
| 4 | %% |
| 5 | %% |
| 6 | [[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cf6abb1e9251613a6777b92c8ca95214.png]]]] |
| 7 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[ObliviousToHisOwnDescription Whoa! There's some dead dude with the same name as me!]]]] |
| 8 | |
| 9 | ->''"Here lies Good Old Fred,\ |
| 10 | A great big rock fell on his head."'' |
| 11 | -->-- ''Ride/TheHauntedMansion'' |
| 12 | |
| 13 | Gravestones should generally be somber or reflective, so in fiction, it's common to put funny epitaphs on them. It could be a poem or a record or suggestion of an ironic or strange death. It could be a pun based on the late character's name. E.g.: "Paul E. Nate - A wonderful husband, father and florist." This is especially common in video games, as the player may blindly ignore the graveyard, or be too busy fighting zombies or whatever. Can be used too as a ShoutOut or a TakeThat, often suggesting the fate of a character from another, rival work. Can be an example of TruthInTelevision. {{Subtrope}} of, but JustForFun/NotToBeConfusedWith, BlackComedy. Can sometimes feature LameLastWords. Compare to TheFunInFuneral. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | If you have some free time, drop by JustForFun/TropeEpitaph for a humorous case of this trope from this very wiki. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | ---- |
| 18 | !!Examples: |
| 19 | |
| 20 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 21 | |
| 22 | [[folder:Advertising]] |
| 23 | * Invoked by the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tombstone_(pizza) Tombstone]] frozen pizza brand with its slogan, "What do you want on your Tombstone?" A typical commercial would evoke an execution, with the accused being asked this and answering "Pepperoni and cheese." |
| 24 | [[/folder]] |
| 25 | |
| 26 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 27 | * ''Franchise/LupinIII'': In the ''[[Anime/LupinIIIPartII Part 2]]'' episode "[[Recap/LupinIIIS2E32 Lupin the Interred]]", Lupin commissions a gravestone for himself before going out to fight an assassin stalking him. In the dub, the gravestone reads: |
| 28 | -->''Here Lies Poor Lupin,\ |
| 29 | Fujiko-less.\ |
| 30 | At least when she visits,\ |
| 31 | he can look up her dress.'' |
| 32 | [[/folder]] |
| 33 | |
| 34 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 35 | * In ''[[ComicBook/SpiderMan Amazing Spider-Man]]'' #308, Spidey fights the Taskmaster in a derelict cemetery; in [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/5/5b/The_Amazing_Spider-Man_Vol_1_308_003.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20210414052400 one large shot]] of the villain, he's shown looming over headstones with the names of famous Spider-Man artists: Steve Ditko, John Romita Sr., Ross Andru, Gil Kane, JR Jr. (John Romita Jr.), and Ron Frenz. |
| 36 | * In ''ComicBook/{{Mister Miracle|2017}}'', Oberon's gravestone has the epitaph "Get me out of here!" |
| 37 | * In the Treasury of British Comics' ''Monster Fun Halloween Special'' 2021, the ''Birdman, Chicken & Sparrow'' strip features gravestones reading "The ''Franchise/StarWars'' Franchise 1997-2019", "ComicStrip/{{Zombo}}: Just Resting", and "2020: Good Riddance!" The last one is heavily chained and padlocked. |
| 38 | * Jean Grey of the ''ComicBook/XMen'' is known for her habit of dying and coming back to life, which was represented in a parody by having her grave say [[http://www.littlestuffedbull.com/images/comics/jeangraves/jeangreybrb.jpg Jean Grey: BRB]]. |
| 39 | [[/folder]] |
| 40 | |
| 41 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 42 | * ''Fanfic/ADiplomaticVisit'': [[spoiler:In chapter 7 of the sequel ''Diplomat at Large'', the Storm King taunts Tempest with this, asking if she ''really'' wants "Princess Twilight was right" to be what they carve on her tombstone -- or into ''her'', as he hits her with an Obsidian Orb and turns her to stone.]] |
| 43 | * ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/23244730/chapters/55657504 Pit Stop]]'' has a particularly [[BadassBoast badass]] epitaph written over [[OneManArmy Courier Six's]] empty grave: |
| 44 | -->''Here lied Old Green Eyes, risen from the dead,\ |
| 45 | Pity the bastard who shot him in the head'' |
| 46 | [[/folder]] |
| 47 | |
| 48 | [[folder:Films -- Animated]] |
| 49 | * In ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'', there's a brief shot of the town's cemetery, featuring a cluster of graves belonging to [[HighTurnoverRate former sheriffs]]. Some of them have humorous epitaphs, including "[[TemptingFate Hold my beer and watch this]]" and "[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries He's Dead, Jim]]". |
| 50 | [[/folder]] |
| 51 | |
| 52 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 53 | * In ''Film/TheBoondockSaintsIIAllSaintsDay'', the [=MacManus=] Brothers, Connor and Murphy, visit the grave of their friend and partner, Rocco. As they silently pray, Murphy notices that the picture on the tomb is Rocco's mugshot, and that a painted-out police arm is holding his long hair up out of his face in a ridiculous fashion. All reverence quickly disappears. |
| 54 | * ''Film/{{Haunted Mansion|2023}}'' (2023): Underneath Crump Manor, Travis finds a room that contains several graves with humorous epitaphs, which is a reference to the graves found near the real ''Haunted Mansion'' ride at Disney World. |
| 55 | * In ''Film/ThisIsSpinalTap'', David St. Hubbins suggests an epitaph for his own grave at one point: "Here Lies David St. Hubbins. And Why Not?" |
| 56 | [[/folder]] |
| 57 | |
| 58 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 59 | * ''Literature/AgathaHAndTheVoiceOfTheCastle'': The tomb of Bludtharst Heterodyne, an EvilOverlord who led to TheGoodKing Andronicus Valois leading a coalition against him and uniting Europa, reads "[[GenghisGambit HE COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT ME]]." |
| 60 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' contains several on the final page of ''Arthur's Halloween'', with probably the most bizarre being "Here lies the body of Sally Bent: Kicked up her heels and away she went." |
| 61 | * ''Literature/TheCatcherInTheRye'' has Holden remarking on profane vandalism and saying that his gravestone will most likely read: "Holden Caulfield, [date of birth]-[date of death], Fuck you." |
| 62 | * ''Literature/TheCatWhoSeries'': In book 20 (''The Cat Who Sang for the Birds''), Qwilleran goes exploring in a cemetery with a knowledgeable local and discovers a number of gravestones that have this. Among these is one described as "the ultimate his and hers". One reads "Shot by her dear husband", and the other next to it announces that he was "Hanged for killing his dear wife". |
| 63 | * ''The Church Mice'' series by Graham Oakley often include these as a background gag in scenes showing the church graveyard. For example, one in ''The Church Mouse'' has "He ran the fete sack race on a full stomach". |
| 64 | * In one ''Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures'' novel, the Doctor, at a funeral, speculates on what his gravestone would say. Benny suggests "When I said 'Look me in the eye and pull that trigger', I was being metaphorical." He thinks it's more likely to be "Look out, he's behind you." |
| 65 | %%* Happens once in ''Messieurs les enfants'' by Daniel Pennac. |
| 66 | [[/folder]] |
| 67 | |
| 68 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 69 | * In what is possibly a ShoutOut to ''Buffy'' from another Creator/MutantEnemy project, ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' wraps up season 5 with [[spoiler:Coulson's]] memorial plaque reading, [[spoiler:"In remembrance of our fearless leader, Phillip J. Coulson. He gave us his wisdom, his love, and his life (a couple of times)."]] |
| 70 | * On ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', Sheldon bought a monogrammed funeral urn for Leonard in case his deviated septum surgery didn't end well. It read "Here lie the ashes of Leonard Hofstadter. He thought he was right, but his roommate knew better." He also bought one for himself, which read "I'm with stupid". |
| 71 | * In ''Series/{{Blackadder}} Goes Forth'', Blackadder says he wishes his tombstone to be inscribed: |
| 72 | -->''Here lies Edmund Blackadder,\ |
| 73 | And he's bloody annoyed.'' |
| 74 | * As always, there is an example from ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. When [[spoiler:Buffy]] dies at the end of season 5, her tombstone reads [[spoiler:Buffy Anne Summers, beloved sister, devoted friend. She saved the world. A lot.]] |
| 75 | * ''Series/TheCatherineTateShow'' featured the extremely popular character of Lauren Cooper, a mouthy schoolgirl whose catchphrase is "Am I bovvered?" (bothered). In the 2007 Christmas special, she [[spoiler:is kayaking and says this to a man who warns her to stay away from a particular stretch of water. She ignores his advice, and is killed when her boat goes over a waterfall.]] Her friends are then seen standing by her tombstone, which is inscribed with the words "I still ain't bovvered". |
| 76 | * ''Series/{{Elementary}}'': In Season Two's "The One Percent Solution", Sherlock adopts a pair of roosters rescued from an illegal fighting ring, and constantly tries to goad Joan into using the traditional word for a male chicken: |
| 77 | -->'''Joan:''' I don't care which cock I'm holding, I just want to know how it got there...! Okay, congratulations, you got me to say it.\ |
| 78 | '''Sherlock:''' I don't know if you've settled on an epitaph yet, but it occurs to me that would look fantastic on a tombstone. |
| 79 | * In ''Series/{{Friends}}'', Phoebe once mentions that she wants her epitaph to be "Phoebe Buffay, Buried Alive". |
| 80 | * In ''Series/GregTheBunny'', Count Blah (who has a VerbalTic of saying "blah" after sentences) visited the grave of his wife, which reads, "Beloved Wife, Blah. R.I.P.B." |
| 81 | * In ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'', this is Al's reaction to Kelly naming the new family dog "Lucky". |
| 82 | -->'''Kelly:''' Let's call him "Lucky" -- Lucky Bundy.\ |
| 83 | '''[[DeadpanSnarker Al]]:''' Gee, I was saving that name for my tombstone. |
| 84 | * One episode of ''Series/RedDwarf'' features a psychic planet that makes itself into a physical manifestation of Rimmer's psyche. The other characters stumble across a graveyard of all his positive traits - Self-Respect died at age 24, Self-Confidence at 22, Charm at ''3''... |
| 85 | * In the reunion movie ''Series/TheWildWildWest Revisited'', James West and Artemus Gordon are shown the grave of their arch-nemesis Migelito Loveless, as made by Migelito's son: A Rushmore-sized carving of the man's last name in the side of a mountain, with tiny little plots staked out for the two heroes in its shadow. |
| 86 | [[/folder]] |
| 87 | |
| 88 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 89 | * ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' module I6 ''Ravenloft''. The tombs under Castle Ravenloft have a number of funny inscriptions on their individual crypts. |
| 90 | ** "Artista [=DeSlop=] — Court Ceiling Painter" |
| 91 | ** "Prince Aerial Du Plumette (Aerial the Heavy)" |
| 92 | ** "Artank Swilovich: Here interred and with great mourning courtesy of the Barovian Wine Distillers Brotherhood." |
| 93 | ** "Sir Sedrik Spinwitovich (Admiral Spinwitovich). Confused though he was, he built the greatest naval force ever assembled in a land-locked country." |
| 94 | ** "Ivan [=DeRose=], Champion of Winter Dog Racing. The race may go to the swift, but vengeance is for the loser's relatives." |
| 95 | [[/folder]] |
| 96 | |
| 97 | [[folder:Theme Parks]] |
| 98 | * The tombstones outside of ''Ride/TheHauntedMansion'' ride at Ride/DisneyThemeParks, which double as tributes to the ride's designers. The Lonesome Manor in ''VideoGame/EpicMickey'', which is based on this ride, has them as well. |
| 99 | * During the graveyard scene in ''WesternAnimation/ShrekFourD'' at Ride/UniversalStudios, several of the tombstones say "COMING SOON" on them. |
| 100 | * Ride/SixFlags: |
| 101 | ** The train ride Georgia's park in the late 1970s had a tombstone hidden among the weeds: "I Tole You I Wuz Sick!" |
| 102 | ** Six Flags Great America has a ton of these as part of its decorations during Fright Fest. |
| 103 | [[/folder]] |
| 104 | |
| 105 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 106 | * ''VideoGame/ArcanumOfSteamworksAndMagickObscura'': |
| 107 | ** Every graveyard in the game has such tombs, with inscriptions like: "I told you I was sick!" "Here lies an atheist all dressed up and no place to go." "Quoeth thy Raven nevermore." "Hey who blew out the candle? Hello?" and "There was a light at the end of the tunnel, unfortunately that light was a train." |
| 108 | ** There was also a hidden "Fan Graveyard" as an EasterEgg, where forum members familiar to the devs were eulogized. |
| 109 | * ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'': |
| 110 | ** The graveyard in Nashkel is full of these, including an EasterEgg that'll trigger an OptionalBoss fight if you click on it too many times. You get things like "Here lies X, who was killed by (long list of summonable creatures)" followed by the Latin for "do not call up what you cannot put down", implying that this was a hapless summoner who didn't know what he was getting into. |
| 111 | ** Dave F. Slain by 13 Gibberlings, 4 Kobolds, 6 Ogres and 2 Dire Wolves. ''Ne invoces expellere non possis''. (Do not call up that which you cannot put down.) |
| 112 | * ''VideoGame/BetrayalAtKrondor'' had a mix of ordinary and humorous quips on the gravestones, and you were also able to dig up the graves. Most graves had nothing special, some had hidden items hinted at by the eulogy (for example, a gravestone reading "Drank his milk every day" hid a few vials of milk), and some had "The fiend beneath this stone is trapped by dirt, not by death": Zombies! |
| 113 | * On the cover of the NES port of ''Chiller'', a gravestone reads, "Dead people are cool." |
| 114 | * ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' had some fun with raunchy {{Punny Name}}s; R. Sole is an example. |
| 115 | * In ''VideoGame/TheDarksideDetective'', the inscriptions on the headstones in the graveyard are punning homages to the game's lead programmers and designers. |
| 116 | * The vast majority of gravestones in the ''Divinity'' series are this. ''All of them are lovingly narrated'' by the Narrator in ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSin'' Enhanced Edition. |
| 117 | %%* In ''VideoGame/DoomAndDestiny'', there are a bunch of these in the graveyard underneath Ben's house. |
| 118 | * The city of Haven in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' has a graveyard filled with humorous tombstones, including some [[ShoutOut Shout-Outs]] to others on the the page. ("Sensal Gaheris: 775-798, 798-801, 801-805, 805-807, 807-809 (VERIFIED), 'BEST TAX EVADER EVER' -- CH") Also in those graves, is "T.O. Hanoi". Anyone who's played ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' or ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' will know of Bioware's fondness for Tower of Hanoi puzzles. Anyone who has played ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' or ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' will breathe a sigh of relief upon viewing that tombstone. |
| 119 | %%* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun'' has these. |
| 120 | * ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'': |
| 121 | ** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'' has a whole graveyard of these in its expansion pack, with new tombstones added with each dead character, regardless of involvement in the main storyline. [[DevelopersForesight Every new Sheothian has a unique narrative regarding their personality on their tombstones]]. |
| 122 | ** ''The Elder Scrolls Legends: Battlespire'' had another whole graveyard of these, and this graveyard was referenced to in ''The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard''. |
| 123 | ** In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', many of the word walls that you get your words of power from are epitaphs of some sort in the dragon language. A lot of them say something about some hero who died in battle, or some sort of ancient Nord proverb, but some of them say something like this: |
| 124 | --->''Here lies Fjolmod Foul-Air who\ |
| 125 | stank as much on earth as\ |
| 126 | his body does now in the ground.'' |
| 127 | * ''VideoGame/{{Fable}}'' has many of these. Most using the rhyming pun. The deceased tend to be people who worked on the game. And then there's one [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean Cpt. J. Sparrow.]] (''May the wind always be at [his] back.'') |
| 128 | %%* ''VideoGame/Fallout2'' has a number of these, including the "four slugs from a .44" example below |
| 129 | * ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' |
| 130 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' has a tombstone reading, "Here lies Erdrick," after the hero (well, hero's ancestor) of competing game company Enix's ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI''. |
| 131 | ** In the original Japanese version and the ''Dawn of Souls'' English translation, the tombstone read "here lies [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]]". |
| 132 | * ''VideoGame/FlamingZombooka 2'''s title screen has several gravestones with joke epitaphs, like "Dariush: Yup he's dead too". |
| 133 | * ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'' has a mix of both serious and amusing gravestones in several graveyards, particularly in the cemetery at Shaemoor: |
| 134 | -->''He learned an important lesson about fighting\ |
| 135 | [[HighVoltageDeath Don't stand in water when casting lightning]]'' |
| 136 | * ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'': |
| 137 | ** On a more minor note, ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'' features "R.I.P. Opposition" tombstones at a San Fierro memorial, referring to the rivalry between Rockstar North and developers of "[[FollowTheLeader GTA clones]]". |
| 138 | ** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoLibertyCityStories'': Staunton graveyard is chock full of these. Hilariously, it becomes increasingly populated as Toni kills off selected characters throughout the storyline. |
| 139 | %%* The Imperial City's graveyard in ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'' also has a few {{Mythology Gag}}s and {{Shout Out}}s on the gravestones. |
| 140 | * ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' has Zero's grave in Halloween Town; though the grave itself is just a grave, Sora will say that Zero is usually sleeping here. |
| 141 | * ''VideoGame/KingsQuest'' |
| 142 | ** Seen in ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVII''. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_gFPbpWh5g Here's a video.]] [[spoiler:Naturally, [[EverythingIsTryingToKillYou given the setting,]] one of them (the one that says "don't stand on his grave") is a trap that does Rosella in if she actually stands on it. Also, there's a blank grave; if examined too close, she's shoved in and BuriedAlive, the words "Rosella, Rest in Pieces" appearing on it.]] |
| 143 | ** And ''VideoGame/KingsQuestIV''. It just seems to be Rosella's "good luck." |
| 144 | ** The Creator/AGDInteractive FanRemake of ''VideoGame/KingsQuestII'' also uses this as a plot point. |
| 145 | %%* Can be found in ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland2LeChucksRevenge'', ''VideoGame/TheCurseOfMonkeyIsland'' and ''VideoGame/TalesOfMonkeyIsland''. |
| 146 | * ''VideoGame/MortalKombat3'' features tombstones of the game's developers, as well as one reading "Cage", presumably a reference to Johnny Cage, the character who died before the events of the game. |
| 147 | * ''VideoGame/Mother3'' has a {{hurricane|OfPuns}} of "grave" puns. Also, a "NO ZOMBIES ALLOWED" sign at the cemetery entrance. |
| 148 | %%* ''Website/{{Neopets}}''' first VideoGame release, ''VideoGame/NeopetsTheDarkestFaerie'', lets you read the unusually jovial tombstones around crypts. |
| 149 | * ''VideoGame/NetHack'': There are [[http://nethackwiki.com/wiki/Headstone#Inscriptions randomly generated graves]] with these. There are loads of them and several places add more to the file (nethack.alt.org has [[http://www.alt.org/nethack/addmsgs/viewmsgs.php a massive collection]]). A few examples include: |
| 150 | ** "Og friend. Og good dude. Og died. Og now food."[[note]]This is a reference to how the "caveman" class does not have penalties for [[ImAHumanitarian cannibalism]].[[/note]] |
| 151 | ** "[[{{Film/Beetlejuice}} Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice]]" |
| 152 | ** "Here lies the body of Jonathan Blake, Stepped on the gas instead of the brake" |
| 153 | ** "Rest in Pieces" |
| 154 | ** "[[NintendoHard 1994-1995. The Longest-Lived Hacker Ever]]" |
| 155 | * ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights'' has a tombstone that reads along the lines of "Here lies X, who scoffed at the warnings of lesser men and built this fine tower. He discovered his error a few weeks later. Beware of trolls." |
| 156 | * Most people who played ''VideoGame/TheOregonTrail'' as a kid put "pepperoni and cheese" on their [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tombstone_(pizza) tombstones]]. The others put profanities on theirs. Apparently a popularly downloaded copy of the game comes with a "[[RougeAnglesOfSatin peperony and chease]]" tombstone, leading to MemeticMutation. |
| 157 | * ''VideoGame/Pirate101'' gives us a few while looking for Honest Ned's grave in the lighthouse graveyard. If the player has Brigus Latro as a companion, he'll get annoyed and hang a lampshade on it. |
| 158 | * The graves in ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies'' can sometimes have funny inscriptions on them (e.g. [[Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus "Bereft of Life", "Just Resting"]], "Expired",...) |
| 159 | * ''VideoGame/{{Primal}}'' had Jen smash a tombstone that read 'RIP Laura Croft 2003' as a TakeThat to ''Franchise/TombRaider''. The game came out in 2003, obviously. |
| 160 | * Like fellow Sierra series ''King's Quest'' above, ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' can never resist having lots of goofy little poems on the tombstones whenever the game includes a cemetery. ("Here lies Lester Moore, gored three times by a wild boar. No Les, no more."). The fourth game's gravedigger character also constantly makes graveyard-and-death-related puns. |
| 161 | * ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'': |
| 162 | ** [[spoiler:John Marston]] has "Blessed are the Peacemakers." As in [[RevolversAreJustBetter Colt Peacemakers]]. |
| 163 | ** The graveyards in New Austin and West Elizabeth sometimes boast humorous tombstones such as one reading "Unknown person - So drunk he did not remember dying" or "If you are reading this, I must be dead". The Coot's Chapel graveyard manages to has inscriptions such as "Never try to milk a bull." |
| 164 | * The cemetery by the Ace of Spades Castle in ''VideoGame/TheRiddleOfMasterLu'' has such quirky inscriptions that the PlayerCharacter can make one of his "Franchise/RipleysBelieveItOrNot" cartoons about them. One seems to contain a dating advertisement by the deceased's widow. |
| 165 | * ''VideoGame/{{RuneScape}}'': |
| 166 | ** The boss room of [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Gravecreeper]] is littered with graves of the game developers. |
| 167 | ** The "last rites" option of Saradomin's holy book (like a Bible) reads "Thy cause was false, thy skills did lack; see you in Lumbridge when you get back." (Lumbridge is normally where players respawn). |
| 168 | * The PC game ''VideoGame/{{Sacred}}'' does this, including such epitaphs as "And he said, 'How long will the flying spell last?'" and the [[NoFourthWall fourth-wall breaking]] [[SchmuckBait "For the ultimate cheat of void, enter DOS, type 'format C:' and enter."]] |
| 169 | %%* ''[[VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice Sam and Max in Night of The Raving Dead]]'' |
| 170 | * ''VideoGame/{{Sanitarium}}'' has plenty, mostly for developers. There's also the grave of Joseph Bruener, a character from ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Wind_II War Wind II]]'' (a game which ''Sanitarium'''s developers had previously worked on). "This one says ''Travis W. Nice Goddamn Cat...''" Granted, this was on a level that's basically a mangled bunch of all the previous levels, so randomness like this is expected. |
| 171 | %%* See also the Creator/CartoonNetwork Web game ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo and the Hollywood Horror''. |
| 172 | * ''VideoGame/{{Shadow Warrior|1997}}'' has a hidden tombstone that says "[[Creator/JackieChan Chan]] — He Slipped in the Shower". |
| 173 | * Despite generally being an otherwise straightforwardly serious {{cosmic horror story}}, the graves in St. Botolph's Cemetery in ''VideoGame/TheSinkingCity'' have funny inscriptions due to a contest run by the devs allowing people to get their messages put on them. |
| 174 | * Chapter 5 of ''VideoGame/StarTropics 2: Zoda's Revenge'' takes place in a Wild West setting, where you can find several humorous (and rhyming) epitaphs in a local mining town. ''"Here lies Lucky Larry. His luck ran out and now he's buried."'' |
| 175 | * ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'': |
| 176 | ** '''Spy:''' "Here lies Scout. He ran fast and died a virgin." |
| 177 | ** Harvest_event has a tombstone reading "RIP The Tenth Class," a reference to players constantly clamoring to discover/add a hidden tenth class or the removed Civilian class from the Hunted game mode. |
| 178 | ** Deathcam screenshots are a more ephemeral, digital form of this, since they always read "You were killed by [killer's name]." Some players would have therefore take on names like "An Expired Sandvich" or "Irony" specifically to have fun with this feature. More bawdy players would use names that cause the deathcam screenshot to [[OutWithABang imply death by more raunchy means]] for much the same reason. |
| 179 | ** The recently added taunt, the Soldier's Requiem, has him plant down a grave ([[OverlyPrepreparedGag that he was carrying with him the whole time]]) that says, "R.I.P. Here lies maggot. I win. The end." |
| 180 | %%* ''VideoGame/UltimaV'', ''[[VideoGame/UltimaVI VI]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/UltimaVII VII]]'' had a number of puns on grave stones. |
| 181 | * In ''VideoGame/VeilOfDarkness'', the graveyard is filled with these, including one [[VideoGame/MonkeyIsland G. Threepwood]] and how woefully he was under for 11 minutes. |
| 182 | * The Japanese version of ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'' has a grave in Saria Town that reads "here lies Loto, the hero" (Loto being Erdrick's Japanese name in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI''). |
| 183 | [[/folder]] |
| 184 | |
| 185 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 186 | * ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'': At the end of the WebAnimation/StrongBadEmail "replacement", Strong Bad hasn't found a replacement host for his email show, but he has decided [[http://www.hrwiki.org/w/images/b/bb/replacement.png what he wants on his tombstone]]: |
| 187 | -->HERE LIES STRONG BAD\ |
| 188 | "CHECKING EMAILS AND KICKING CHEATS IN THE HEREAFTER"\ |
| 189 | BURIED WITH HIS HUNDRED GIRLFRIENDS\ |
| 190 | AND LIKE A JILLION DOLLARS\ |
| 191 | PLEASE DON'T DIG UP THE GRAVE |
| 192 | * ''WebAnimation/HowItShouldHaveEnded'' has the following in their ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' spoof: |
| 193 | -->'''Steve's grave:''' [[CallBack Threw a]] [[WesternAnimation/TheMarvelSuperHeroes mighty shield.]] When his girlfriend died, [[AngstWhatAngst Cap didn't hesitate to]] [[{{Squick}} make out with her niece.]]\ |
| 194 | '''Bucky's grave:''' [[Memes/CaptainAmericaCivilWar He just wanted some plums.]] |
| 195 | [[/folder]] |
| 196 | |
| 197 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 198 | %%* Happens frequently in ''Webcomic/TheComicAdventuresOfLeftAndRight''. The grave usually reads something pertinent to the last thing a character was doing. |
| 199 | * In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', a visit to the Crypt of the Heterodynes reveals many amusing epitaphs. Perhaps most interesting is the tomb of Lazarus Heterodyne, with half a dozen dates crossed out. As well as Iscariot Heterodyne, "Every Man's Friend". The [[NothingButSkulls pile of skulls]] next to the crypt has labels like "Friend #115". |
| 200 | * ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'': [[https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/comic/grrl-power-782-death-by-die/ Upon seeing many roleplaying dice in her new store,]] Sydney confesses being tempted to go PooledFunds with them, but then admits that "death by d4 lacerations" would be a pretty dumb way to die. Next panel shows a tombstone reading "SYDNEY SCOVILLE, JR -- SHE DUMB". |
| 201 | * In the ending of "Let's Destoy the Shagohod!" from ''Webcomic/{{Hiimdaisy}}'', the US President rewrites [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater The Boss]]'s grave to read "In Memory of a loser who was a loser". No need to say [[BerserkButton how Big Boss reacted]]. |
| 202 | * From Hale's Webcomic/NuzlockeComics, the prologue graveyard scene has two. A (ghost type) Gengar's epitaph reads "Lolwut?" A Mudkip's says "No one really liked him!" |
| 203 | * Eugene Greenhilt's tombstone in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', in addition to listing his [[DeathIsCheap many dates of death and resurrection]], reads, "Master Wizard, Devoted Husband, Passable Father". (He was lucky to get that much. They probably averaged out his treatment of [[TheUnfavorite Roy]] and [[SpoiledBrat Julia]].) Other visible tombstones display similar humor ("Bloodmak the Unholy: [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial Not coming back as a vampire. Honest.]]") |
| 204 | * A staple of the webcomic ''[[https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Unlife_is_Unfair/ Unlife is Unfair]]'', particularly the name puns like "Dustin Dewinn" and "Rick R. Mortis". |
| 205 | [[/folder]] |
| 206 | |
| 207 | [[folder:Web Videos]] |
| 208 | * At the end of WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd's review of ''VideoGame/Raid2020'', he delivers a ''[[OverlyLongGag long]]'' speech about how he dreads having to review more games with years in their titles (''WesternAnimation/Phantom2040'', ''VideoGame/Battlefield2142'', ''VideoGame/SimCity 3000'', etc.) When he mentions ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'', he believes he'd be dead by the actual year 2077, giving him the perfect excuse not to review it. Cut to a tombstone that reads: |
| 209 | -->''"HERE LIES NERD\ |
| 210 | HE NEVER REVIEWED CYBERPUNK 2077"'' |
| 211 | * Once WebVideo/TheCinemaSnob sees a grave written "HANK TRACY. HE WAS JESSE JAMES' FRIEND.": |
| 212 | -->'''The Snob:''' I hope to God that when I die, my tombstone reads something like "Here Lies The Cinema Snob. He once reviewed ''Troll 4'' with WebVideo/{{Phelous}}" |
| 213 | * ''WebVideo/MapMen'': In "You'll never guess the most popular internet country code", Jon Postel's gravestone reads "www.hereliesjonpostelsuchalovelyandclevermanmissedbymany1943-1998.com/rest/in/peace". |
| 214 | * ''WebVideo/Max0r'': In his "Incorrect Summary of ''VideoGame/{{Ace Combat Zero|TheBelkanWar}}''" video, the grave of the violently adamant flat-earther Anton "Dr." Kupchenko has the following inscription on his grave. |
| 215 | --> GAULT-1\ |
| 216 | 1973-1995\ |
| 217 | IF YOU'RE READING THIS\ |
| 218 | [[OverusedRunningGag THE EARTH IS FLAT]] |
| 219 | * WebVideo/{{Vinesauce}} Joel's Windows XP Destruction once [=System32=] is deleted: |
| 220 | -->''RIP BONZI BUDDY\ |
| 221 | 1999-2014\ |
| 222 | "MY GREATEST DREAM\ |
| 223 | IS A WORLD WITHOUT JEWS"'' |
| 224 | %%* ''WebVideo/ShadowOfIsraphel'' features a number of these in the towns [[LetsPlay/LewisBrindley Xephos]] and [[LetsPlay/SimonLane Honeydew]] visit, among other background gags. |
| 225 | [[/folder]] |
| 226 | |
| 227 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 228 | * ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'' in their parody of Creator/CharlesDickens' ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'': "Here lies Beavis. He never scored." |
| 229 | * ''WesternAnimation/CasperTheFriendlyGhost'': ''WesternAnimation/TheSpooktacularNewAdventuresOfCasper'' does this in the credit sequence, with the tombstones featuring puns. Sometimes they varied things with jokes like a tombstone reading "I'm with stupid" next to another tombstone reading, "I'm stupid". |
| 230 | * ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'': In the TV movie ''WesternAnimation/TheUltimateEnemy'', Danny enters a future where his friends and family have been killed, and he sees a collective gravestone reading "Gone, but not forgotten". Right next to it is a stone for [[ButtMonkey Mr. Lancer]], which just reads "Gone". |
| 231 | * The ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "[[Recap/FamilyGuyS16E16FamilyGuyThroughTheYears Family Guy Through the Years]]" has Peter's tombstone say "stabbed by Lady-boy" (Peter had died in UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar). |
| 232 | * It's very difficult to make out, due to the heavy grain effect, but the tombstones in the intro for ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' read "WesternAnimation/EvilConCarne", "WesternAnimation/TimeSquad" and "[[WesternAnimation/WhateverHappenedToRobotJones Robot Jones]]", which were fellow Cartoon Network shows that began and were cancelled in the time period between when the show was known as ''Grim & Evil'' (which ''Evil Con Carne'' was originally a part of) and it being given a {{Retool}} into just ''Billy & Mandy''. |
| 233 | * ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'': In the episode "Ghost Bride", when Arnold and the others enter the graveyard where the titular Ghost Bride was buried, Arnold attempts to read her tombstone: |
| 234 | -->'''Arnold:''' "Here lies Cynthia Snell. She lived her life and went straight to--" [[SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion I can't read the rest]]. |
| 235 | * ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'': In "Who's for Dinner", Heffer, after learning he was adopted, runs away and comes across what he believes is his biological father's grave at the cemetery and starts bawling until his father appears in a vision to remind him he isn't even dead. Heffer looks at the tombstone and reads the message on the front: "Here lies [[StealthPun a big, wet cat]]." |
| 236 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': |
| 237 | ** The first five "WesternAnimation/TreehouseOfHorror" episodes used these in their openings. The last one to use them actually had a tombstone reading "Amusing Tombstones", signaling the retirement of the gag, until it was brought back for [[LongRunners the twenty-ninth Treehouse of Horror.]] |
| 238 | *** In the "Treehouse of Horror I" segment "Bad Dream House", the Indian burial ground includes gravestones for [[Radio/TheLoneRanger Tonto]], UsefulNotes/MahatmaGandhi (who wasn't a Native American Indian), Crazy Horse and Not So Crazy Horse. |
| 239 | *** The "Treehouse of Horror III" segment ''Dial "Z" for Zombies'' has graves marked "WesternAnimation/FishPolice", "WesternAnimation/CapitolCritters" and "WesternAnimation/FamilyDog", all of which were animated series that tried and failed to compete with ''The Simpsons'' in primetime. |
| 240 | ** After Homer fakes his death to get off working as a garbage collector, Marge is visited by Patty and Selma, who [[ObnoxiousInLaws quite gleefully]] try to gift Marge what they have been saving for ever since she married: a graveyard spot for Homer with accompanying tombstone that reads "Homer Simpson: we are richer for having lost him". |
| 241 | ** Another episode shows the family is using Bart's gravestone as a tea table. It reads "Bartholomew J. Simpson: Son, Brother, [[BookDumb C-Student]]." |
| 242 | * The ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode where [[{{greed}} Mr. Krabs]] goes to a graveyard to dig up a million-dollar hat. Squidward is mourning at a tombstone and when Mr. Krabs comes to see who it was, he sees that the engraving reads "Here lie Squidward's hopes and dreams." ("Pfft. What a baby.") In the same graveyard, there's "Diver Dan", whose tombstone has carved scuba gear on it; "Stupid" next to "I'm with Stupid", complete with pointing hand, and most importantly, the "#1" shaped tombstone of Smitty Werbenjaegermanjensen, whose name extends off the name plaque. |
| 243 | [[/folder]] |
| 244 | |
| 245 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 246 | * Two examples from Website/{{Snopes}}: |
| 247 | ** [[http://www.snopes.com/photos/signs/expired.asp This one is kind of charming.]] |
| 248 | ** [[http://www.snopes.com/photos/signs/headstone.asp This one, not so much.]] |
| 249 | * Comedian Creator/SpikeMilligan's grave says, "I told you I was ill". However, the inscription is in Irish Gaelic, because the bishop wouldn't allow it in English. |
| 250 | * Creator/RodneyDangerfield's epitaph: [[https://images.findagrave.com/photos/2005/192/9556754_112118645549.jpg There goes the neighborhood.]] |
| 251 | * In the Boothill graveyard near Tombstone, Arizona, there's a grave that reads, "Here lies Lester Moore, four slugs from a .44, no Les, no more." Another one reads, "Hanged By Mistake." |
| 252 | * In a Silver City, Nevada Boot Hill: |
| 253 | --> "Here lies Butch. We planted him raw. He was quick on the trigger, but slow on the draw." |
| 254 | * Comedian Creator/WCFields used to say that he wanted his gravestone to read, "On the whole, I'd rather be in Philadelphia." Sadly, it doesn't. |
| 255 | * OlderThanYouThink: Creator/AmbroseBierce has examples of humorous epitaphs in ''Literature/TheDevilsDictionary'', such as "Sacred to the memory of Jeremiah Tree. Cut down May 9th, 1862, aged 27 yrs. 4 mos. and 12 ds. Indigenous." |
| 256 | -->''Here lies the late Senator Vrooman\ |
| 257 | Whose head was as hard as the heart of a woman\ |
| 258 | Whose heart was as hard as the head of a hammer\ |
| 259 | Dame Fortune inspired him to eminence, damn her!'' |
| 260 | * Creator/RobertBurns also wrote humorous epitaphs, like [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/robertburns/works/epitaph_on_a_wag_in_mauchline/ Epitaph on a Wag in Mauchline]]. |
| 261 | * Groucho Marx once jokingly suggested his tombstone be inscribed with 'Excuse me, I can't stand up'. They put a Star of David on it instead. |
| 262 | * Creator/LeslieNielsen said he was going to put a fart joke on his gravestone. [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Leslie_Nielsen_Headstone.jpg And he delivered.]] |
| 263 | * Creator/MelBlanc's tombstone displays an appropriate, and well-known quote: [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Mel_Blanc_4-15-05.JPG "THAT'S ALL FOLKS"]]. |
| 264 | * Creator/JackLemmon's epitaph: [[https://images.findagrave.com/photos/2002/89/22822_1017602942.jpg "Jack Lemmon in"]]: |
| 265 | * Creator/GilbertGottfried, who infamously caught flak for making "too soon"-type jokes about current events, fittingly enough has [[https://images.findagrave.com/photos/2023/271/238734697_c08e672e-b854-4725-b373-5e1cc2fdcd79.png "Too Soon"]] engraved on his tombstone. |
| 266 | * Creator/MervGriffin's epitaph: [[https://images.findagrave.com/photos/2007/341/20909851_119717293933.jpg "I will not be back right after this message"]]. |
| 267 | * While it is ''about'' a grave and not inscribed on it, Creator/LordByron's quip about Viscount Castlereigh is just too delicious to not mention: |
| 268 | -->''Posterity will ne'er survey\ |
| 269 | A nobler grave than this:\ |
| 270 | Here lie the bones of Castlereagh:\ |
| 271 | Stop, traveller, and [[ExcrementStatement piss]].'' |
| 272 | * The tombstone of Swedish author Fritiof Nilsson "The Pirate" famously reads: |
| 273 | -->''Here lie the ashes of a man in the habit of putting everything off until tomorrow. He changed for the better on his deathbed, however, and did in fact die on 31 January 1972.'' |
| 274 | * Creator/BillyWilder's epitaph makes use of the last line of one of his most beloved movies, ''Film/SomeLikeItHot'': "[[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Billy_Wilders_grave_%28978339409%29.jpg I'm a writer, but then nobody's perfect]]". |
| 275 | * Creator/DeForestKelley once joked that his tombstone would say, [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries "He's Dead, Jim."]] (He doesn't actually have a gravestone; when he died, he was cremated and his ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean). |
| 276 | * The tombstone of Wild West gunslinger [[https://visitpecos.com/visit-pecos/destination/clay-allisons-gentleman-gunfighters-grave Clay Allison]], which helpfully states that "he never killed a man that did not need killing." |
| 277 | * Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream's headquarters has a "Flavor Graveyard" that applies this trope to the company's discontinued ''flavors'', with a rhyming epitaph on each tombstone. This was visited in the "Ice Cream" episode of ''Series/TheWorldAccordingToJeffGoldblum'', with Goldblum adding to the humor by noting that since "Oh Pear" lasted less than a year, it was [[DeathOfAChild "taken in its infancy...That's the saddest thing I've ever heard!"]] |
| 278 | * Prince Edward Island's Ripley's Believe it or Not museum has a collection of these. |
| 279 | * CountryMusic legend Music/TomTHall once joked to an interviewer that his epitaph was going to be "What was ''that'' all about?" |
| 280 | * This man's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IlBLJgfktI epitaph]] has an acrostic poem that spells "F—— OFF". This was something that he would say to people if they rubbed him the wrong way. |
| 281 | * The "Merry Cemetery" from village of Săpânța, Romania. It is quite famous for its brightly coloured tombstones with funny descriptions of the people who are buried there, in addition to scenes from their lives. |
| 282 | -->''Under this heavy cross\ |
| 283 | Lies my poor mother-in-law\ |
| 284 | Three more days should she have lived\ |
| 285 | I would lie, and she would read (this cross).\ |
| 286 | You, who here are passing by\ |
| 287 | Not to wake her up please try\ |
| 288 | Cause' if she comes back home\ |
| 289 | She'll scold me more.\ |
| 290 | But I will surely behave\ |
| 291 | So she'll not return from grave.\ |
| 292 | Stay here, my dear mother-in-law!'' |
| 293 | * One Harry Edsel Smith's tombstone bears the inscription: ''"Looked up the elevator shaft to see if the car was coming down. It was."'' |
| 294 | * Creator/KeanuReeves has joked/lamented, before he landed his [[Franchise/TheMatrix much more]] [[Franchise/JohnWick well-regarded]] roles, that his epitaph would likely sum up his career as, "Here lies Keanu Reeves. He played [[Franchise/BillAndTed Ted]]." |
| 295 | * In a similar vein, after learning that he was terminally ill, writer William Saroyan contacted the Associated Press and gave them a "final statement" from him to print after he died: “Everybody has got to die, but I have always believed an exception would be made in my case. Now what?” (Saroyan died about a month later, and the line was indeed printed in various obituaries devoted to him). |
| 296 | [[/folder]] |
| 297 | ---- |
| 298 | ->[[TheStinger Here lies Alice Fife]]\ |
| 299 | [[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife TV Tropes ruined her life.]] |
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