Woman Planned Her Fun Funeral In Advance, Hired Flash Mob To Dance To A Queen Hit

Feb 03, 2023

Most funerals are a sad and solemn affair but a 65-year-old woman, who died of tongue cancer in September 2022, made her own plans and ensured that her send-off reflected her life. 

Sandie Wood, from the U.K., surprised the mourners at her funeral when a flash mob suddenly performed "Another One Bites the Dust," a Queen classic hit song, during the service. She hired the local group Flaming Feathers to perform at the crematorium seven months before she succumbed to the disease.  

Friends said that Wood was always quite the rebel who was precisely the type to do outrageous things. In fact, she also planned for her coffin to be brought to the church late because she never arrived on time for get-togethers and appointments. Wood also wanted her coffin to be a purple box with the words, "Going out in style" written on it, and she told the celebrant to swear at her funeral.

Samantha Ryalls, Wood's best friend who helped with the funeral arrangement, told The Washington Post that the deceased planned for everything in February 2022, following her terminal cancer diagnosis, and she specifically asked to shun traditional rites or rituals. 

Wood was sick with hepatitis C infection for decades, but her tongue cancer developed because she received contaminated blood transfusions for her treatments. The mistake turned into a 2019 national scandal in the U.K., impacting more than 30,000 patients.  

While life dealt Wood a bad card, she never allowed cancer to get the best of her. She also didn’t want her loved ones to be consumed by grief when she passed away. 

Flaming Feathers tried to blend in at the funeral by pretending to be the sad relatives of the deceased. But when the familiar beat played, four dancers got up from the pew, whipped off their coats, and then rocked to the music.

Claire Phipps, the head dancer of the flash mob, said that some of the mourners were "refusing to look" at the performers, at first, only to realize that this was likely all part of Wood's plan. Eventually, the crowd warmed up and clapped to the catchy beat as well.

“They were all really thankful and enjoyed it after.”

Phipps added that it was an odd request to pretend to cry at the funeral and then dance to a Queen song. She learned from Ryalls that several other dance groups rejected their request for a flash mob at a funeral because they thought the idea was disrespectful. Ryalls was forced to look for a group on Facebook, where Phipps answered her request.

Wood's husband, Mark, was also not aware of the surprise flash mob, but he appreciated what his wife planned, he told The Post.

“There was a big smile on my face because that was her. She didn’t want me to know that because she wanted to surprise me. And boy, didn’t she do it?”

The deceased also had one last request from the people at her funeral. She wanted them to exit the church by doing a conga line, and they were all game for it. Wood also thought her funeral should generate headlines, and that's exactly what happened. 

Were you impressed by Sandie Wood’s plans for her final send-off? Have you ever witnessed a funeral like this? Talk to us and pass this story along to someone who might enjoy it!