If only this were an April Fools' spoof. A UK company called Rent A Mourner (RAM) is just what it claims to be: a legitimate service that provides 'fillers' to attend your funeral.
For a fee of £45 (around $70CD), the Essex-based company will "supply professional, polite, well dressed individuals to attend funerals and wakes." Oh, and crematoriums, too.
The service proves especially valuable in cases where a low turnout is expected—for those who were perhaps new to an area or country, or to boost numbers for those who were simply unpopular.
RAM apparently takes care to "integrate and mix with your other visitors," liaising about dress code, etc., prior to the big event. Unlike the friends you never had, these professional mourners are guaranteed to be both prompt and sincere.
I'm not quite sure why, assuming you're dead, you would care about the turnout. But RAM will certainly help your fellow mourners save face by putting a convincing front, taking up the cause of tragedy.
The saddest thing you've ever heard or a worthy service?
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