I've heard of "extreme embalming" before, but this takes it to a whole new level. For his wake, the family of a murdered teenager in New Orleans had his body embalmed and placed in front of a TV to make it look like he was playing a video game.

The rest of Renard Matthew's send-off was pretty traditional. After his wake, his body was escorted to the cemetery with the help of a brass band - which is customary in New Orleans. It was the wake that caught a few mourners off guard.

At the wake, Matthews' embalmed body was seen reclining in a chair, in front of a TV, dressed in a Boston Celtics jersey, holding a video game controller and surrounded by snacks.

According to a spokesperson for the Charbonnet Funeral Home, this not the first time this sort of thing has been requested. Recently, a 53 year old "party girl" was embalmed between two disco balls, holding a can of beer and a menthol cigarette.

The funeral home likes to describe what they do as, not being dis-respectable, but as a way of "celebrating" a person's life. "We celebrate life, but we also celebrate the home-going of people."

If you really think you need to see the image for yourself, I've included a link to the website below.


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