An 85-year old man has had his dying wish granted to him – that the hearse bearing his coffin should display the sign, ‘Smoking Killed Me’.
Dick Whittamore wanted the bleak message to act as a warning to youngsters who might be tempted to take up the habit. As the hearse drove through Dover towards the cemetery, passers-by stopped to watch.
Mr Whittamore, who worked as an assistant theatre manager, for many years suffered from the lung disease emphysema. The illness is painful and sufferers experience difficulty breathing and is caused by the toxins in cigarette smoke.
Friends said that while working for the Hippodrome theatre, Mr. Whittaker proved himself an inspired publicist, hence the bold move to make people more aware of the dangers of cigerettes. He was a heavy smoker when he was younger and was eager to prevent people making the same mistakes.
He designed the sign to look like the warnings displayed on cigarette packets and the funeral directors, Sullivan and Sons, were instructed to also leave the sign on his grave for a week.
The stop-smoking charity Quit applauded Mr. Whittacker’s actions, saying that he sent out a strong message to others to prevent them suffering.