Poe Funeral

Better 160 years late than never, right?

Wednesday through Sunday, the city of Baltimore will host a lavish funeral for writer Edgar Allen Poe, more than a century and a half after his death. The affair will be a whole lot better than the crappy funeral he got after he unexpectedly died in 1849 at just 40 years of age.

"It's sort of a way of saying, 'Well, Eddie, your first funeral wasn't a very good one, but we're going to try to make it up to you, because we have so much respect for you,'" actor John Astin, who toured as Poe for years in a one-man show, told the Associated Press.

Life took a tragic turn for the author of such classics as "The Raven" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" when he was found outside a Baltimore tavern delirious and in serious need of assistance. He spent four days in the hospital before he died and we still don't quite know why, or how. His cousin, Neilson Poe, neglected to announce the author's death publicly, instead opting for a private funeral attended by less than 10 people.

But Baltimore's Poe House and Museum plans to make up for all that in a big way this week, in a series of events linked to the year-long Poe Bicentennial Celebration. Starting Wednesday, Poe's "body" (an eerie reproduction by a local special-effects artist) will lie in state at the Poe house for 12 hours, where guests will have the opportunity to pay their respects. That will be followed by an all-night vigil at Westminster Burying Ground, near the museum, where attendees are welcome to offer their tributes.

The big event happens Sunday, when more than 350 people are expected to pack the former church next to his cemetery for the funeral. The event will feature actors portraying friends of the late troubled genius and even one noted foe.

A great author deserves a proper send-off, and we're glad it's finally happening for Poe, even if it's happening very, very late.

Photo courtesy of brauerranch via Flickr.