Throughout history, people have been buried with their valuables and most cherished possessions. From Queen Victoria to the ancient Egyptians, many requests - or the items loved ones added to their caskets - include important mementos from an individuals life and legacy. Guitars, writing utensils, costumes, cigars, even a whale tooth; these objects reflect something about the celebrity's personality or interests - no matter how quirky.
While many famous people go for flashy tombstones to mark their passage into the next life, sometimes what's inside the grave itself proves more interesting than its marker.
During his time in office, President George H.W. Bush was known for his fondness of quirky, patterned socks - often of a sentimental value. After the former president passed away on November 30, 2018, Jim McGrath, his spokesperson, announced that he would be buried in an extra special pair of socks:
The 41st President will be carried to his final rest wearing sock that pay tribute to his lifetime of service, starting as an 18-year-old naval aviator in war. That legacy is now being carried, in part, by the brave, selfless men and women abroad.
Birthplace: Milton, Massachusetts, United States of America
Tony Curtis's casket was crowded when he passed in 2010. According to his wife, Jill Vandenberg Curtis, an extensive collection of possessions followed him on his journey: his driving gloves, his Navy medals, his grandson's baby shoes, a model of his Trans-Am, a DVD of clips from his favorite film, a single Percocet tablet, his iPhone, seven packets of Splenda, his dog's ashes, paintbrushes and paints, sunglasses, and a yarmulke from a Budapest synagogue he helped renovate.
Wearing an Armani scarf, he held a Stetson hat under his arm.
Hollywood heartthrob Humphrey Bogart met Lauren Bacall when the two filmed To Have and Have Not in 1944; he was 44, she was 19. After a few weeks of filming, they started an affair - even though Bogart was married. Eventually, Bogart divorced his wife and married Bacall in a small, private ceremony. The pair weren't perfect, but they loved each other deeply, and Bacall was always convinced they were meant for each other.
Bogart passed away from cancer 12 years after marrying Bacall. He was cremated, and a small gold whistle was buried with his ashes. The whistle, which Bogart had given Bacall before they married, was inscribed with Bacall's famous line from To Have and Have Not: "If you want anything, just whistle."
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
Beloved children's writer Roald Dahl, the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and others, wrote many of his stories in a garden shed on his property, and always with his favorite tool: an HB pencil.
Dahl loved those pencils so much he was buried with a few of them, along with a collection of his favorite things, including a snooker cue (snooker is a popular British billiard game), red wine, chocolate, and a power saw.
Birthplace: Wales, South Glamorgan, Eurasia, Cardiff, Llandaff
Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi, an international star of stage and screen, ran away at 11 and fell in love with acting soon after. He made a name for himself starring in Shakespearean plays before transitioning to silent movies, and was most known and loved for his starring role in the 1931 film Dracula.
Lugosi passed in 1956 and was buried in a Dracula costume - complete with a replica cape. The real one was given to Lugosi's son. In 2011, his family decided to sell it as part of a Hollywood memorabilia auction. The starting price of $1.2 million might have been too much, however, because the cape didn't sell.
Legendary singer Frank Sinatra passed in 1998. Raised by a tavern owner, he reportedly loved Jack Daniel's so much that he took a bottle of it with him to the grave. He was also buried with a roll of dimes to "call his friends" and a pack of Camel cigarettes.
Whiskey enthusiasts still talk about Sinatra's choice of drink, and many believe the story still contributes to sales of Jack Daniel's.
