skip coffinMICHAEL PROBST/AP/Press Association Images

A funeral director has launched interactive gravestones, which can be scanned with a smartphone, and link to a webpage about the deceased.

So how does it work, and would you want one?

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Interactive graves

A report in the Daily Mail has revealed that funeral director Chester Pearce, in Poole, Dorset, has started offering customers the option of having an interactive headstone for their loved one. Instead of the usual short message engraved onto the stone, it features a QR code (or quick response code), printed onto a metal plaque which is then attached to the stone.

Those visiting the grave can scan their smartphone over the code, and as long as they have the right app installed, it will take them to a web page about the deceased. This can feature a biography, photograph, memories from friends and family, and video. The closest family can be given a password, so they can update the page as time goes on.

The newspaper report revealed that one of the first to use it was Gill Tuttiett, who put the code on the gravestone of her husband, Timothy, after he died last year at the age of 53. She said he liked to be at the forefront of technology and would have wanted to be part of something new like this.

Unusual funeral choices

There have always been those who have used gravestones to make a statement. Around the world there are thousand of golf bag headstones, fishing rods, and statues of the people buried. And in the nineteenth century when Egyptology was all the rage, there were hundreds of pyramids erected in graveyards across the world.

The use of coffins to make a statement is also gaining currency in the UK, with Crazy Coffins leading the way with specials such as skateboards, guitars, ballet shoes and even skips (pictured).


The cost

These things don't come cheap. The QR code gravestone costs £300, plus £95 for the hosting and setup of the website. The coffins depend on complexity and the speed with which it is required, but range from £800 for a basic football boot to £5,000 for a complex custom-built car.

But they're a drop in the ocean compared to a novelty gravestone. One of the most famous is a full-size Mercedes tombstone in granite, commissioned for a 15 year old by his brother. The New Jersey stone was said to cost $250,000.

So what do you think? Would you opt for an usual memorial? Is the QR code the future or an expensive gimmick? Let us know in the comments.

The dead celebrity rich list

  • 1. Michael Jackson
    <p> King of pop Jackson was rumoured to have financial problems when he died in June 2009.</p> <p> However, his music shot back into the charts as soon as he was no longer around to make any more and it is estimated that Jackson has sold well over 10 million albums since his death at the age of 50.</p> <div> </div> <div> As a result - according to the latest figures from Forbes Magazine - Jackson's estate made an incredible $170 million (&pound;108 million) in the 12 months to October 2011.</div>
    1. Michael Jackson
  • 2. Elvis Presley
    <p> Presley's estate, which is thought to be worth about &pound;1 billion, has generated many millions from music royalties, licensing deals and tourism at Graceland since his death in 1977, aged 42.</p> <p> And it continues to earn about $55 million a year, partly thanks to posthumous appearances in adverts for products including Apple's iMac to Lipton's Tea.</p>
    2. Elvis Presley
  • 3. Marilyn Monroe
    <p> Monroe is one of the most iconic stars of all time. And despite dying in 1962, her curvaceous image is used to sell everything from Visa to Volkswagen.</p> <p> When she died, aged 36, her estate was valued at &pound;1 million. However, the Forbes figures indicate that it earned a massive $27 million in the 12 months to October 2011.</p>
    3. Marilyn Monroe
  • 4. John Lennon
    <p> The Beatle's estate has earned vast sums since he was shot dead in New York in 1980.</p> <p> It was valued at about &pound;100 million at the time of his death, but is since estimated to have grown by a further &pound;200 million. And according to the latest Forbes list, it still makes $12 million a year.</p> <div> </div>
    4. John Lennon
  • 5. Kurt Cobain
    <p> The Nirvana singer, who committed suicide in 1994 at the age of 27, continues to be an iconic figure for many fans.</p> <p> And his songs are still bringing in huge amounts of cash. In 2006, Cobain's widow Courtney Love sold 24.5% of the grunge band's publishing catalogue for a rumoured &pound;35 million.</p>
    5. Kurt Cobain
  • 6. Agatha Christie
    <p> Not all the celebrities on the list are singers or film stars. Crime writer Christie has also amassed a huge fortune since her death in 1976, aged 85.</p> <p> Her books continue to fill shelves around the world, while the immense popularity of her sleuths Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple have made her the bestselling author of all time, according to The Guinness Book Of Records.</p> <div> However, his music shot back into the charts as soon as he was no longer around to make any more and it is estimated that Jackson has sold well over 10 million albums since his death at the age of 50.</div> <div> </div> <div> As a result - according to the latest figures from Forbes Magazine - Jackson's estate made an incredible $170 million (&pound;108 million) in the 12 months to October 2011.</div>
    6. Agatha Christie
  • 7. Albert Einstein
    <p> Einstein died in 1955 at the age of 76, but the dead scientist is still raking in $10 million a year, according to Forbes Magazine.</p> <p> His image has been used to advertise everything from McDonald's Happy Meals to the Toyota Prius.</p>
    7. Albert Einstein
  • 8. Bob Marley
    <p> The reggae singer died of cancer aged 36 in 1981. But the Marley family has continued to receive massive royalties from his musical catalogue.</p> <p> It includes the best-selling album &quot;Legend&quot;, which alone is believed to have earned them more than &pound;10 million since his death.</p>
    8. Bob Marley
  • 9. Tupac Shakur
    <p> The American rapper was just 25 when he was killed in Las Vegas in 1996.</p> <p> However, his untimely death has not stopped him becoming the most successful hip-hop artist ever, selling more than 75 million albums worldwide. His estate is thought to earn about &pound;4 million a year from his back catalogue.</p>
    9. Tupac Shakur
  • 10. Liz Taylor
    <p> The Hollywood star, who started her career at the tender age of 10, died in March 2011 at the age of 79.</p> <p> By October of that year, according to Forbes Magazine, the value of her estate had swelled by about $12 million.</p>
    10. Liz Taylor


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