The sister-in-law of art critic Jamie Lee Curtis held her own live funeral – before her death – in which she lay in bed with her eyes closed as her friends and family gathered around her and said their goodbyes.
Anthony Hayden-Guest, 86, a British-American writer, reporter, cartoonist and poet – who is the half-brother of Jamie’s husband, Christopher Guest – threw a funeral on Sunday evening and Newstimesuk.com has obtained exclusive pictures of the bizarre event.
The art expert, who splits her time between London and New York City, told Newstimesuk.com that she chose to celebrate her life despite being alive, because she ‘doesn’t like to miss a party.’
‘I needed a dress rehearsal,’ she joked. ‘And I don’t like to miss a party.’
The sister-in-law of art critic Jamie Lee Curtis organized her own funeral – before her death – in which she was laid to rest in bed as her loved ones gathered around her and said their goodbyes.
Anthony Hayden-Guest, 86, is a British-American writer, reporter, cartoonist and poet, half-brother of Jamie’s husband Christopher Guest. They were seen together in 2005
He threw himself a funeral on Sunday evening and Newstimesuk.com obtained exclusive pictures of the bizarre event.
The art expert, who splits her time between London and New York, told Newstimesuk.com that she chose the celebration of her life because she ‘doesn’t like to miss a party’.
Held at the Upper East Side home of multi-millionaire Libby Mughrabi — ex-wife of billionaire Andy Warhol art collector David Mughrabi and Anthony’s current employer — several of Anthony’s socialite friends gathered to reflect on Anthony’s impressive life.
‘I needed a dress rehearsal,’ she joked. ‘And I don’t like to miss a party’
Anthony told Newstimesuk.com that Christopher, 75, and Jamie, 64, who married in 1984, were not there because he had not spoken to his brother for years.
He explained that while they didn’t ‘fall out’, they were ‘never close’ and eventually stopped talking.
Photos from the funeral show Anthony laying a white sheet over his body on a bed in the middle of the room.
Her loved ones are seen throwing roses at her as she lies with her eyes closed like a corpse.
At one point, he even put pennies over his eyes – a tradition that people usually do with the dead at funerals, said to be a bribe to take them to heaven.
When asked if he thought he was going to heaven or hell, the former Financial Times cartoonist admitted, ‘I don’t think people go to heaven or hell. Can you imagine how upset you’d be in heaven you’d want to leave after 20 minutes.’
Anthony certainly splashed out on the event, serving up nearly $10,000 worth of crystal champagne to his guests.
It was held at the Upper East Side home of multi-millionaire Libby Mughrabi – ex-wife of billionaire Andy Warhol art collector David Mughrabi and Anthony’s current employer.
Anthony currently works for Libby – who gave a tearful eulogy at the funeral – as her ‘artist in residence’.
A number of his social friends gathered to reflect on Anthony’s impressive life
Anthony (seen at the funeral) told Newstimesuk.com that Christopher and Jamie, who married in 1984, did not attend because he had not spoken to his brother in years.
He explained that while they didn’t ‘fall out’, they were ‘never close’ and eventually stopped talking.
Photos from the funeral show Anthony lying on a bed in the center of the room with his body draped in a white sheet.
Her loved ones and friends are seen throwing roses at her as she lies with her eyes closed.
At one point, he even put pennies over his eyes – a tradition people usually do with the dead at funerals, said to be a bribe to take them to heaven.
Cucumber sandwiches were available at the funeral – a tribute to Anthony’s British heritage.
Among the crowd was fashion designer Frederik Anderson. Anthony’s pal Anna Wintour was reportedly invited but did not attend.
Both Anthony and Christopher are sons of Baron Peter Hayden-Guest.
Anthony began his career as a writer for the Financial Times, writing a weekend column on art collecting.
When asked if he thought he was going to heaven or hell, he said, ‘I don’t think people go to heaven or hell. Can you imagine how upset you’d be in heaven if you wanted to leave after 20 minutes’?
Anthony certainly splashed out on the event, serving up nearly $10,000 worth of crystal champagne to his guests.
Cucumber sandwiches were available at the funeral – a tribute to Anthony’s British heritage
Among the crowd was fashion designer Frederik Anderson. Anthony’s pal Anna Wintour was invited but did not show. Anthony is seen with Frederick and Libby
To commemorate his impending death, he also painted a series of cartoon tombstones inscribed with witty tributes to himself, which he proudly held up at the funeral.
‘Not in service,’ read one of them. Another said, ‘So much for the witness protection program.’
‘I think denial of death is a basic human survival instinct. People are in denial. I refuse,’ Anthony reflected to Newstimesuk.com
Over the years, he has directed articles and cartoons for numerous outlets such as The New York Observer, Sunday Telegraph, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Esquire, GQ (UK) and The Sunday Times.
He wore a blue, button-down shirt, dress pants and a black and white patterned tie for the occasion, as well as a cap painted on by him.
He won an Emmy in 1979 for his PBS documentary The Affluent Immigrants. He has also written several books.
He now works for Libby – who gave a tearful eulogy at the funeral – as his ‘artist in residence’.
To commemorate his impending death, he also drew a series of cartoon tombstones inscribed with witty tributes to himself, which he proudly held up during the funeral.
‘I think denial of death is a basic human survival instinct. People are in denial. I refuse,’ Anthony reflected to Newstimesuk.com.
He wore a blue, button-down shirt, dress pants and a black-and-white patterned tie for the occasion, as well as a cap painted on it.
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