14 Celebrities And The Items They Took With Them To The Grave

Vintage | Celebrity

14 Celebrities And The Items They Took With Them To The Grave

As history has indicated, many ancient civilizations, especially the Egyptians, used to send off the dead with items that they may need in the afterlife.

Today, the practice of burying the dead with special items still takes place, but for many different reasons. While some believe that the items could come in handy in the great beyond, others simply choose certain items as a tribute to the deceased.

Here are 14 celebrities and the items they took with them to their graves:

1. Humphrey Bogart

Bio.com

Best known for: Acting in acclaimed movies like To Have and To Have Not.

Items buried with: Along with Bogart's cremated remains, a small gold whistle with the inscription, "If you want anything, just whistle," was placed in the urn. The whistle was a gift from Bogart to his wife, actress Lauren Bacall, a few years prior.

2. Roald Dahl

vulture.com

Best known for: Author of children's books including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Items buried with: Chocolate, a bottle of Burgundy, snooker cues, pencils, and a power saw.

3. Leonard Bernstein

Bio.com

Best known for: Composing music, including works for the musicals On the Town and West Side Story.

Items buried with: A piece of amber, a lucky penny, chocolate, red wine, a baton, a copy of Alice in Wonderland, and a pocket score of Gustav Mahler's Fifth Symphony.

4. Elizabeth Taylor

Famous People

Best known for: Actress with a filmography that includes classics like Cleopatra and Butterfield 8.

Items buried with: Richard Burton's final love letter to her.

5. John F. Kennedy

Famous People

Best known for: 35th President of the United States

Items buried with: A whale tooth engraved with the Presidential Seal which he received from his wife, Jackie, on Christmas, letters from his wife and children, a pair of gold cuff links, a PT-109 tie clip and a silver rosary.

6. Tony Curtis

Metro

Best known for: Acting in films and TV shows, including Houdini and Some Like It Hot.

Items buried with: An iPhone, a Stetson hat, a pair of driving gloves, his grandson's baby shoes, the ashes of his dog and a copy of the book Anthony Adverse, which inspired his stage name.

7. Miles Davis

Stereogum

Best known for: Jazz musician.

Items buried with: His beloved trumpet horns.

8. Bob Marley

Ashslay.blogspot.com

Best known for: Singer-songwriter known for hits like "One Love" and "No Woman, No Cry."

Items buried with: His favorite red Gibson Les Paul guitar, a Bible, and some marijuana.

9. Harry Houdini

Bio.com

Best known for: Performing magic tricks and illusions.

Items buried with: A set of letters from his mother, Cecilia Weiss.

10. Ronnie Van Zant

Find A Grave

Best known for: Lynard Skynard lead singer.

Items buried with: His signature black hat and a fishing pole.

11. Bela Lugosi

Animation Magazine

Best known for: Actor who portrayed Dracula.

Items buried with: The Dracula cape

12. Andy Warhol

Wikipedia

Best known for: Artist that led the pop art movement.

Items buried with: Estee Lauder "Beautiful" perfume.

13. Colonel Sanders

The Verge

Best known for: Creating the secret Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe.

Items buried with: His iconic white double-breasted jacket.

14. Frank Sinatra

Saint Heron

Best known for: His best-selling hits like "New York, New York" and Academy Award-winning performances in movies such as From Here to Eternity.

Items buried with: A bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey, a pack of Camel cigarettes, a Zippo lighter, and one dollar in dimes for when he ever needed to use a pay phone in the great beyond.

Do you have special items you'd like to be buried with?

Blair isn't a bestselling author, but she has a knack for beautiful prose. When she isn't writing for Shared, she enjoys listening to podcasts.