Remember Me When I'm Gone: The Rich and Famous Write Their Own Epitaphs and Obituaries [Hardcover]

Larry King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 23, 2004

“Show me Heaven! I have seen hell.” —Patricia Neal


Larry King, world-famous radio and television personality, has asked the talented, the beautiful, the wise, and the rich a question all of us have pondered: How would you like to be remembered after your death? The result is REMEMBER ME WHEN I'M GONE, an entertaining and eloquent collection of “last words” from people in the arts, in politics, in sports, and in business, mostly still alive. In telling and moving reflections, often leavened by self-deprecating humor, these celebrities look back on their lives, their ambitions, their mistakes, and their accomplishments.

The contributions range from pithy one-liners by Yogi Berra (“It’s over.”), Dave Barry, George Carlin, and Liz Smith (“Excuse my dust!”); to inspired sketches by Stephen King and Peter Falk; to candid reflections from Don Shula, Fred Rogers, and Chevy Chase; to hilarious rants from Margaret Cho and Tommy Lee; and a last request by Arthur Hailey.

Often surprising and always memorable, REMEMBER ME WHEN I'M GONE is a timeless collection by stars who will live on forever.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Leave it to King to take a decidedly morbid subject and turn it into something enjoyable. For this volume, the famous news and talk show host asked over 300 celebrities how they would like to be remembered after their deaths. The results range from the slapstick to the revelatory. Some of the contributions are spiritual, such as Mariel Hemingway's statement that after death she would exist "in the ever-new joy of God's love" and Kristin Chenoweth's plan to be "rejoicing with her Lord in heaven." Other parting lines are quite funny, among them Phil Donahue's ("Is the caller there?") and Dave Barry's ("Dave's not here"). Some of the contributions ring with pride and self-congratulation, such as Calvin Klein's "Calvin Klein by Eternity" and Tommy Hilfiger's "An all-American classic designer who brought class to the masses." Last but not least is King's own commentary: "I hope that fifty years from now when people talk about Larry King, they will say, "He did a hell of an interview!" A slight, eclectic book offering dashes of charm and more than a smidgen of self-congratulation, this volume will probably do best when displayed next to cash register with other impulse items.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Inside Flap

?Show me Heaven! I have seen hell.? ?Patricia Neal


Larry King, world-famous radio and television personality, has asked the talented, the beautiful, the wise, and the rich a question all of us have pondered: How would you like to be remembered after your death? The result is REMEMBER ME WHEN I'M GONE, an entertaining and eloquent collection of ?last words? from people in the arts, in politics, in sports, and in business, mostly still alive. In telling and moving reflections, often leavened by self-deprecating humor, these celebrities look back on their lives, their ambitions, their mistakes, and their accomplishments.

The contributions range from pithy one-liners by Yogi Berra (?It?s over.?), Dave Barry, George Carlin, and Liz Smith (?Excuse my dust!?); to inspired sketches by Stephen King and Peter Falk; to candid reflections from Don Shula, Fred Rogers, and Chevy Chase; to hilarious rants from Margaret Cho and Tommy Lee; and a last request by Arthur Hailey.

Often surprising and always memorable, REMEMBER ME WHEN I'M GONE is a timeless collection by stars who will live on forever.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Nan A. Talese; 1 edition (March 23, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385501757
• ISBN-13: 978-0385501750
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,431,153 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Celebrities' last words, April 16, 2004

By 

Eileen Rieback (Coral Springs, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Remember Me When I'm Gone: The Rich and Famous Write Their Own Epitaphs and Obituaries (Hardcover)

When you pass on from this life, what would you want people to say about you? Larry King asked that question of over 300 celebrities, and the result is "Remember Me When I'm Gone," a fascinating compendium of epitaphs and obituaries penned by the still living about themselves. The celebrities include actors, authors, business people, journalists, artists, musicians, politicians, and scientists. The contributions run the gamut: funny, spiritual, laudatory, biographical, comforting, witty, and philosphical. Appropriately enough, there are some song lyrics from songwriters, cartoons from cartoonists, comic epitaphs from comedians, and poetry from writers. Fred Rogers composed his contribution before his death, when he knew he was seriously ill. Larry King provided his own epitaph as well. It was tough for me to select a few examples from so many interesting contributions, but here goes:

Joanna Barnes: At Last - A Parking Space!
Arnold Schwarzenegger: I had fun.
Ted Turner: I have nothing more to say.
Beverly Sills: The best is yet to come.
Robin Leach: Hi, this is Robin Leach standing outside the pearly gates!
Jim Davis: I would like to be remembered as someone who was extremely old.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger: How arrogant to write your own epitaph.

This book displays a lot of wit and wisdom on a sobering topic, and I recommend it as an entertaining and enlightening read.

Eileen Rieback

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sad, but hopeful that we'll be reading for real very soon, May 31, 2006

By 

Navy Bean "Navy Bean" (Amsterdam/Dayton, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Remember Me When I'm Gone: The Rich and Famous Write Their Own Epitaphs and Obituaries (Hardcover)

I was among the saddest to hear of Larry King's passing in 1987. I had long been a fan of his nonsensical ramblings in USA Today and knew that I might miss those columns unless they replaced it with something superior like a Jumble or a Suduko puzzle. Imagine my surprise to see him on CNN almost 20 years later. Alive ... well sort of alive. Was he cryogenically thawed out? Let this be a warning to all of you in frozen states ... it does NOT always work out.

And this book is just fabulous, a collection of self-serving, inane babblings by the assistants of famous people. Because famous people most certainly do not have the time to write such heartfelt and sincere passages ... they're just not capable of it. It's outside their skill set. So don't be angry with them, just accept them for who they are ... famous friends of Larry King, columnist, talk show host, suspenders-wearer.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Last Words of Legends, October 14, 2004

By 

Artist Barbara Garro (Barbara Garro at http://www.ElectricEnvisions.com in Saratoga Springs, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Remember Me When I'm Gone: The Rich and Famous Write Their Own Epitaphs and Obituaries (Hardcover)

Well, this is definitely a page turner and a flip through and a go back and read again and share and tell people they just have to read it.

Imagine, so many wrote their last words poetically. Some wrote pages while others wrote short. "I demand a recount." "Mispronounced dead on arrival." And perhaps you'll guess who wrote one word "Imagine!"

My absolute favorite, laugh out loud epitath--

When my time on earth is done
And I have breathed my last
I want them to bury me upside down
So my critics can kiss my ass