Seattle artist Rose Briar Bates, known for ephemeral art, created a water ballet as her final request. Friends honored her with a joyful, creative memorial, celebrating her life with a playful public performance.

Music thanatology uses harp and voice at bedside to ease patients' physical symptoms, offering love and support during end-of-life moments. Certified thanatologists help create peaceful, compassionate transitions.

In Hong Kong, overcrowded columbaria and high costs leave families struggling to find a place for ashes. This issue, shared by other cities like New York and Tokyo, is prompting innovative solutions for interment.

306 Hollywood, a film by Jonathan and Elan Bogarin, creatively explores memory, loss, and family through a magical realist lens. The siblings' documentary honors their grandmother, transforming ordinary moments into extraordinary ones.

Gallows humor, especially around death, offers a psychological distance that helps cope with morbid topics. For doctors, it can provide relief from grief, but must be used cautiously to avoid harm.

Catherine Panebianco's series No Memory is Ever Alone transforms old slides into a living memory. Tiny Inventions' animated short Negative Space explores the emotional bond between father and son.

Mark Vanhoenacker created a "singing will," a playlist of music to comfort a dying friend. Music's emotional power can reach the dying, and many now curate playlists to guide them into the next life.

Terminally ill patients use gallows humor to regain control and challenge death's power. By joking, they assert their participation in life, offering insight into the importance of palliative care in easing suffering.

Jason Silva explores life's impermanence in his "Shots of Awe" video, drawing on the wisdom of Rilke, Freud, and Dylan Thomas, urging us to embrace change and fight against entropy.

A Flight to Remember Foundation, founded by Tom Davis, uses drones with live-feed cameras to virtually transport people, especially those in palliative care, to meaningful places, creating joyful, emotional journeys.

Teju Cole reflects on the death of his grandmother, Mama, in Nigeria, using photographs to grasp her loss. A photo of her in a funeral shroud evokes deep emotion, highlighting the power of memory and mourning.

In the era of personalized memorials, funerals are shifting from somber rituals to meaningful life celebrations. With options like green burials, cremation, and artistic tributes, individuals can plan their ideal send-off.

Sacred Death revisits a tale from Emile Zola’s The Sinful Priest, where Albine, heartbroken by a priest’s abandonment, orchestrates her tragic death by suffocating herself in flowers, an artistic homage to her sorrow.

Emily McDowell created greeting cards to bridge the awkwardness of talking about illness. Drawing from her own cancer experience, she offers humor and compassion, helping friends stay connected during tough times.

Holly Strelzik reflects on childhood trauma from her father’s alcohol-fueled rants, transforming her holiday experience into one of healing. Now, she finds meaning in the present, supporting her husband with Alzheimer's.

Good Death? explores the growing interest in death literacy and defines a "good death" based on individual experiences, from avoiding pain to preparing loved ones, embracing spirituality, and cherishing love.

Comfort food rituals around death have existed for millennia, from Neanderthals to modern times. Global funeral dishes, like Belgian soul bread, Chinese jai, and Jamaican johnny cakes, offer comfort and community.

Blossoming tells the story of Kristy Mitchell, who created a fantastical photo series, Wonderland, as a tribute to her mother after her passing. The series blends childhood memories, grief, and art.

Alan Watts' The Dream of Life explores the paradox of consciousness and our connection to universal divinity, offering a new perspective on mortality and our place in the world, blending Eastern and Western philosophies.

Christopher Borrelli explores what the last works of artists reveal about life and death, highlighting figures like Van Gogh, LeGuin, and Day-Lewis, and the poignant clarity that emerges before death.