Gene Roddenberry
He’s the man who brought science-fiction into the public eye with “Star Trek,” and his guiding hand made it possible for viewers and fans to see the stars in ways we had never imagined. Of course, Roddenberry wanted his final resting place to be beyond the surly bonds of Earth.
He requested that he “boldly go where no man has gone before.” He wanted his ashes scattered in space, and he got his final wish. After he died in 1997 his ashes got taken up to space via a satellite and were released. He’s still up there, somewhere.
Harry Houdini
No magician, illusionist, or escape artist has gotten as much fame as Houdini – his name has become code for someone who can't be tied down. There's another code associated with him, however. Toward the end of his life, he became interested in the spiritual and the afterlife, attending seances with his wife.
In his will, he left a code for his wife – if she was able to contact him after his death, he would give the code to prove it was really him. Every year on the date of his death (Halloween), she held seances, but was apparently never able to contact him. Which, let's be real, shocker.
Napoleon Bonaparte
While the man had a complex named after him, even though he wasn't all that short. He was average for his day, but differences in measuring formats made the English think he was shorter, which they played up for politics. Yet he's still remembered as a little shorty, and he definitely had his eccentricities.
In his last will and testament, for example, he requested that his head be shaved, and his hair be divided among friends. Now there's a keepsake that is sure to raise some eyebrows. We wonder how much hair each person got. Were these four people? Or was this a hundred people each getting a single strand of worn-out hair?
Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Known as one of the greatest actors of his generation, Hoffman knew the value of hard work. For this reason, he didn't want his children turning into “trust fund kids,” and so he left everything to his girlfriend instead. In addition, he stipulated that his son Cooper should be raised in three different cities: New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.
Why you might ask? We don't know why. Maybe he wanted the boy to have a rounded education, or maybe he just hated Los Angeles. One way or the other, it happened, which means Hoffman is smiling down from wherever he is.
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe is a name that may never be forgotten. She was one of the most legendary actors of her time, and she still inspires countless young women to push themselves to higher and higher heights. Though she went young, she had already accumulated a large fortune.
Instead of leaving her riches to her family, however, her will stipulated that it should all go to Lee Strasberg, her acting coach. Every single one of her personal effects remained in Lee's basement until he too passed away. She must have really liked him. Or disliked him, since it seems like a hassle.