“O Lord, into your hands I commend my spirit.”
Queen of Scotland, quoting the words of Jesus before being executed by beheading at Fotheringhay Castle.
Mary Queen of Scots (1542 – 1587)
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Marie Antoinette (1755 – 1793)
“Pardon me sir, I did not do it on purpose.”
Queen of France during the revolution, spoken after stepping on the executioner’s foot as she approached the guillotine to be beheaded at the Place de la Concorde.
Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965)
“I’m so bored with it all.”
British statesman and war leader, these were the final words to his son-in-law. After having a stroke and then slipping into a coma, Winston Churchill died nine days later at his home in London. aged 90.
Stalin (1878 – 1953)
“I’m finished. I don’t even trust myself.”
The last words of the former ruler of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin, who died at his home from cerebral haemorrhage, which his daughter Svetlana described as ‘a difficult and terrible death.’
George Washington (1732 – 1799)
“I die hard, but I am not afraid to go.. I am just going. Have me decently buried, and do not let my body be put into the vault in less than two days after I am dead. Do you understand me? ‘Tis well.”
The final words of the first President of the US, spoken to his private secretary – he wanted to be certain of not being entombed alive. George Washington died at his home from a ‘violent inflammation of the throat’ at the age of 84.
Caesar Augustus (63 BCE – 14 CE)
“Have I played the part well? Then applaud as I exit.”
The final words of Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, who was also known as Octavian. After several months of poor health he died while visiting the town of Nola, which was also the place of his father’s death.
Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790)
“A dying man can do nothing easily.”
One of the founding fathers of the US, replying to his daughter when she suggested he may breathe easier by lying on his side. Benjamin Franklin died at his home in Philadelphia from pleurisy, aged 84.
Benito Mussolini (1883 – 1945)
“Shoot me in the chest.”
The controversial dictator speaking prior to being executed by a partisan leader, the shooting took place in the village of Giulino di Mezzegra, Italy.
Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865)
“She won’t think anything about it.”
Reassuring his wife that their friend wouldn’t mind them holding hands, shortly afterwards he was fatally shot in the head from behind by assassin John Wilkes Booth.
Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890)
“The sadness will last forever.”
Spoken to his brother Theo, the famous 19th Century painter died from an infection after shooting himself in the chest, at the age of 37.