Remember Me When I'm Gone by Larry King (2004, Hardc...

Larry King, world-famous radio and television personality, asked celebrities a question all of us have pondered: How would you like to be remembered after your death? The result is REMEMBER ME WHEN I'M GONE, an entertaining and eloquent collection of famous last words from people still alive in the arts, in politics, in sports, and in business. In candid summaries, often leavened by self-deprecating humor, the celebrities reflect on their lives, their ambitions, their mistakes, and their accomplishments.

The contributors include such well-known figures as Alan Alda, Bob Dole, Denis Leary, Hugh Hefner, Stephen King, Beverly Sills, and Donald Trump. Here’s just a sampling:

“Some of the ways I think I want to be remembered can be dismissed almost immediately because they are self-serving, unrealistic, ludicrous, or all of the above.…The actual wording should be ‘A lucky and grateful human, who hopes he is remembered as a man of some integrity.’ ”–Hugh Downs

“Show me Heaven! I have seen hell.”–Patricia Neal

“If I am remembered first and foremost as a dad and a husband, then I think you could say I kept my priorities straight.”–Jeb Bush

“He Really Was in Charge.”–Alexander Haig, Jr.

“Get a hot roasted chicken, a good loaf of French bread and a cold bottle of chardonnay, eat it all and enjoy and remember me when I’m gone.”–Maya Angelou