The 7 Shocking Secrets Of Andre The Giant's Coffin And Final Wishes
The legend of André the Giant, the "Eighth Wonder of the World," is often told through tales of his incredible strength, his legendary capacity for alcohol, and his dominance in the wrestling ring. However, the story of his passing in January 1993 and the subsequent logistics of his final wishes is perhaps the most poignant and logistically challenging chapter of his life. As of today, December 19, 2025, the facts surrounding the disposal of his remains continue to highlight the extraordinary scale of the man, revealing a saga that involved a custom-made casket, an international flight, and a problem no French crematorium could solve. The myth of a massive, custom-built coffin is true, but the purpose of that custom coffin is what truly tells the story.
The details of his death reveal a man who faced the challenges of his size, even in his final moments. While the world remembers the wrestler, the man known as André René Roussimoff simply wanted a peaceful farewell, a wish that proved almost impossible to grant due to the sheer size of his 555-pound body.
André René Roussimoff: A Brief Biography of the Eighth Wonder
The man the world knew as André the Giant was born André René Roussimoff, a French professional wrestler and actor whose life was defined by his immense size, caused by a condition known as acromegaly.
- Full Name: André René Roussimoff
- Born: May 19, 1946, in Coulommiers, Seine-et-Marne, France
- Died: January 27, 1993 (aged 46), in Paris, France
- Cause of Death: Congestive Heart Failure, a common complication of untreated acromegaly.
- Height: Variously billed as 7 ft 0 in (213 cm) to 7 ft 4 in (224 cm).
- Weight: Variously billed as 400 to 555 lbs (181 to 252 kg) at the time of his death.
- Ring Names: André the Giant, Jean Ferré, Monster Roussimoff, Géant Ferré.
- Famous Role: Fezzik in the 1987 film *The Princess Bride*.
- Legacy: Inaugural inductee into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1993.
The Logistical Nightmare: Why His Coffin Couldn't Stay in Paris
The story of André the Giant’s final resting arrangements is a testament to the unforeseen complications that his extraordinary size presented to the very end. He passed away in a Paris hotel room while in France to attend his father’s funeral, a heartbreaking coincidence that set the stage for the subsequent logistical ordeal. This is where the tale of his "coffin" truly begins.
1. The Urgent Final Wish: Cremation Within 48 Hours
André had a clear and written final wish: he wanted to be cremated. Crucially, he requested this process to be completed within 48 hours of his death. This was a desire rooted in his personal philosophy, as he reportedly did not want a traditional burial and felt that cremation was the cleanest, simplest way to go.
2. The Unsolvable French Problem: No Crematorium Could Fit Him
The immediate problem was discovered when his body was prepared in Paris. Due to his immense size—approximately 555 pounds—there was no crematorium in the entire city of Paris, or even within a reasonable distance, that could accommodate his body. The size of his remains made a timely cremation in his home country impossible.
3. The Custom-Made 300-Pound Oak Casket
To prepare him for transport, a custom-made casket had to be commissioned. This was not a standard coffin; it was a massive, extra-wide, and extra-long container built specifically to hold his remains. The final product was a 300-pound oak casket, necessary to safely contain and transport the "Eighth Wonder of the World" across the Atlantic.
The Journey Home: From Paris to North Carolina
With the 48-hour deadline long past and no local solution, the difficult decision was made to transport the body back to the United States, where André had established his ranch and final home. This international transport was overseen by his long-time friend and ranch manager, Jackie Bernard, who flew to France to coordinate the complex arrangements.
4. The International Flight and the Two-Week Delay
The custom casket and André's body were flown from Paris to Charlotte, North Carolina. The entire process, from his death to the final cremation, took more than two weeks, a significant delay from his simple 48-hour request. The complexity of securing a flight capable of handling the weight and dimensions of the custom casket and its contents was a major hurdle.
5. The Hearse That Wasn't: Transported by Truck
Upon arrival at the airport in Charlotte, the logistical problems continued. When the massive casket was ready to be moved to the funeral home, no standard hearse was large enough to carry it. In a surreal scene that perfectly encapsulated the man’s larger-than-life existence, the custom coffin had to be loaded into the back of a flatbed truck for the final journey to the crematorium.
6. The Forklift and the 19-Pound Ashes
Once at the funeral home, the casket was so immense and heavy that pallbearers could not manage it. A forklift had to be brought in to safely move the 300-pound oak casket and André's body into the facility for the cremation process. The sheer volume of his remains was equally astonishing: after the cremation was finally completed, André the Giant’s ashes alone weighed 19 pounds, significantly more than the average human's remains.
The True Final Resting Place: A Giant’s Home
The story of the custom coffin and the logistical nightmare of his cremation ultimately leads to a simple, peaceful conclusion that honors the man's love for his adopted home.
7. Scattered on His Beloved Ranch in Ellerbe
Following the successful cremation in North Carolina, André René Roussimoff’s final wish was granted. His ashes were not interred in a traditional grave or placed in a mausoleum. Instead, they were scattered over his beloved property, a 200-acre ranch in Ellerbe, North Carolina. This ranch was his sanctuary, a place where he could escape the constant scrutiny of the public eye and live a quiet life away from the wrestling circuit. The scattering of his ashes on the ranch ensures that the "Eighth Wonder of the World" remains forever a part of the land he called home.
The tale of the coffin, the truck, and the forklift serves as a powerful, final reminder of the unique challenges that came with being André the Giant. His death, like his life, was on a scale that few could comprehend, ensuring that even his farewell was a monumental event that contributed to the enduring legend of André René Roussimoff.
Detail Author:
- Name : Khalid Roberts
- Username : kunde.devin
- Email : marquardt.stanton@gmail.com
- Birthdate : 1995-06-04
- Address : 2165 Schneider Row West Sidhaven, KS 36086-5044
- Phone : +1-503-239-6078
- Company : Ritchie, Green and Smith
- Job : Financial Manager
- Bio : Voluptatibus voluptatem excepturi adipisci provident adipisci at. Eos nobis quis est in laudantium. Esse et laborum est itaque eligendi aut est. Et praesentium quasi quaerat.
Socials
twitter:
- url : https://twitter.com/samir3315
- username : samir3315
- bio : Distinctio et rerum illo expedita asperiores sint. Error consequatur non doloribus laboriosam facilis. Necessitatibus similique natus velit cum.
- followers : 2185
- following : 2945
linkedin:
- url : https://linkedin.com/in/samirquigley
- username : samirquigley
- bio : Optio reprehenderit sequi quia ducimus.
- followers : 3392
- following : 2379
