Haunting Photos Of Celebrities Who Had Open Casket Funerals

Emmett Till

Although Emmett Till was not a celebrity in typical standards, the fame he gained posthumously is perhaps the most meaningful of this entire list. Till was a 14-year-old African American boy, born in raised in Chicago. In 1955, he visited relatives in Mississippi. After he spoke to a 21-year-old white woman named Carolyn Bryant, Till was accused of flirting or whistling at her. A short time later, Bryant’s husband Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam went to Till’s great uncle’s home and abducted the boy. He was beaten and mutilated before being shot in the head, and his body dumped in the river. He was found three days later, and his disfigured body was returned to Chicago.

Emmett’s mother, Mamie Till, insisted that her son have a public funeral with an open casket because she wanted the world to see what had been done to her young son. Thousands of people attended his funeral and even more viewed photographs taken. Emmett Till is credited with paving the way for the Civil Rights movement that came a short time later.