Leslie Nielsen, who passed away in 2010, remains a comedic legend who set an incredibly high bar for smart, dry humor and contemporary "slapstick" in the Naked Gun franchise and the Police Academy series.
With the Naked Gun reboot, starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, fans have been reminiscing about the earlier Naked Gun movies and their fondest and funniest memories of the original Frank Drebin, Leslie Nielsen.
When news of the reboot was still fairly new, TikToker Kyoko, or @kyokoandrudy on the platform, came forward and shared that Leslie Nielsen was actually "Uncle Leslie" to her, and she had countless fond memories of him, including him teaching her how to swim, holidays together, and her laughing into her plate at the dinner table over his jokes.
But the memory she was most eager to share was so on-brand for Nielsen that it's hilarious but not surprising.
Nielsen was very open about his love of fart jokes, to the point that he had a portable fart machine that he traveled with, and the inscription on his tombstone in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is "Let 'er rip."
TikToker @kyokoandrudy wasn't sure if it was her Uncle Leslie's wish, or if his wife had planned it to honor his memory and humor, but a fart machine was planted at his funeral in a very special place.
Nielsen's niece described her uncle's funeral as more of a wake, stretching across multiple rooms with ample room to socialize, enjoy drinks and food, and listen to music. Nielsen was placed in an open casket where people could step up and pay their respects.
Little did some guests know, though, that a fart machine was inside Nielsen's casket near his feet, and the remote control to set it off was up at the bar. So the bartenders and guests who purchased drinks could click the remote and cause a farting noise in the casket two rooms away.
Nielsen's niece explained:
"The speaker [for the fart machine] is in his casket, and [the open bar] is where my aunt put the remote."
"So the idea was that when you went up to get a drink, you could press the button that would then, two enormous rooms away, create a fart noise from his casket."
"To anyone who was standing there mourning him in that moment, if they weren't fully in the know, one might think that it had come from his body."
"Like, is that not so ridiculously morbid, but also hysterical?"
"I never asked my aunt if this was one of his explicit wishes, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was. I also wouldn't be surprised if my aunt just did it herself because she knew that he would love it."
"Despite not occurring when he was alive, it's one of my favorite stories about him, because it really demonstrates both his sense of humor and kind of the legacy that he left here."
"Everyone celebrated the h**l out of him that day."
You can watch the video here:
Fellow TikTokers loved the story of the hidden fart machine.
@kyokoandrudy/TikTok
@kyokoandrudy/TikTok
@kyokoandrudy/TikTok
@kyokoandrudy/TikTok
@kyokoandrudy/TikTok
Fans shared some of their favorite memories of Nielsen.
@kyokoandrudy/TikTok
@kyokoandrudy/TikTok
@kyokoandrudy/TikTok
@kyokoandrudy/TikTok
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If this isn't one of the most Leslie Nielsen things we've ever heard, then we don't know what is.
It sounds like Kyoko's family had a memorable time celebrating Nielsen's life and enjoying his humor. The best way to honor someone so hilarious is to find ways to spread laughter.
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