We are accustomed to seeing celebrities in larger-than-life environments. This includes movies, TV shows, and soul-out amphitheaters. These celebs achieve so much fame that they are effectively remembered long after they die. Because of this, we don’t really pay attention to celebrity funerals, because what’s the point? We want to remember our favorite actors and singers the same way we fell in love with them: as entertainers who enthralled the entire world.
As it turns out, though, celebrities can be just as entertaining in death as they are in life. Not on purpose, of course: it’s not like they suddenly spring back to life and sing a few songs before hopping back in the casket. However, the relatives of the deceased and even the preachers conducting the service often turn these funerals into the craziest spectacles known to man. Don’t believe us? Keep reading to discover the most cringeworthy moments in celebrity funeral history!
Ariana Grande groped at Aretha Franklin’s funeral
Aretha Franklin was, simply put, a national treasure. The entire world mourned when she died, and her funeral was attended by some pretty big names. For example, Ariana Grande attended, and she honored the dead by singing Franklin’s famous song, “Natural Woman.” It was a great performance, and former president Bill Clinton made more than a few headlines by appreciatively staring at the singer throughout her performance.
However, that wasn’t the craziest part of Franklin’s funeral. You see, the man conducting the event was Bishop Charles H. Ellis II, and he was even more into Grande than Clinton was. He put his arm around her waist, and poor Grande looked terrified while he did so. If that wasn’t weird enough, he also used her last name to make a joke that “Ariana Grande” sounded like something you’d order from Taco Bell.
Ironically enough, when he apologized to the Associated Press, he said “Maybe I crossed the border.” Considering that “Cross the border” was once a slogan for Taco Bell, we can’t help but wonder if he was winking at his own transgressions here!
Christina Aguilera and the mystery leak
As the above story indicates, it’s not that uncommon to have current singers perform at the funerals of deceased musicians. When Etta James died, Christina Aguilera performed, and she gave a very soulful, very impressive rendition of “At Last.” She didn’t just sound great, either: clad in a black jacket and knee-length skirt, she also looked amazing. Unfortunately, the more people looked at the singer’s impressive legs, the more they noticed something startling: she appeared to be leaking!
The mystery liquid caused quite a stir because nobody could figure out what the heck they were looking at. Had the singer urinated on herself? After ruling that out, some thought that she had begun menstruating and that this caught her by surprise. Eventually, the answer came out, and the truth was less controversial but no less boring. You see, she had gotten a spray tan before the performance, and she got so nervous while singing that she began sweating. This caused the tanner to run down her legs, causing the mystery drip that had her entire fandom asking what was going on.
Burt Reynolds’ brother gets the cold shoulder
Compared to the crazy drama above, the cringeworthy hijinks at Burt Reynolds’ funeral were far more straightforward. There were no handsy pastors in attendance, nor any singers springing mystery leaks. In fact, it’s fair to say that none of the drama at the movie star’s funeral was caused by who was there. Instead, it was caused by who wasn’t there: namely, his brother.
Burt Reynolds’ ex-wife, Loni Anderson, was in charge of inviting the guests to her former husband’s funeral. For reasons that were never fully explained, she didn’t invite his brother, Jimmy Reynolds. At the time, this caused a minor stir in the celebrity world, with Jimmy’s wife, Maria Reynolds, telling reporters that, despite their estrangement, nobody knew Burt like Jimmy did. Considering how nasty Anderson’s divorce from Reynolds was, it will always be confusing that she (and, reportedly, she alone) decided that this sibling rivalry was enough to keep Jimmy from saying goodbye to his brother.
Whitney Houston and the mystery casket picture
Whitney Houston wasn’t all that much like Burt Reynolds. However, they shared at least one thing in common: their funeral drama didn’t really hit the fan until after the service was over. After the singer’s friends and family attended the funeral, they were shocked to see Houston one more time: on the front page of The National Enquirer, which ran a picture of Houston’s dead body in her funeral casket!
Nobody ever figured out who leaked the photo, though some of Whitney Houston’s fans thought it might be the funeral home (they emphatically denied this accusation). Eerily enough, the same thing happened three and a half years later, after the death of Houston’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown. A picture of her body in the casket was similarly sold to the tabloids, and nobody ever figured out exactly who had snapped the offending pic.