Mourners For Hire

For a modest price, a person in Great Britain can hire a group of mourners to cry at the funeral of the deceased and increase the number of the attendees at the funeral. Ian Robertson is the founder of the company, adequately named Rent-a-Mourner, claims that while the concept may seem strange for Western countries, the concept is common in Asia where it is tremendously popular.

These mourners are no amateurs. They are often briefed on the lives of the deceased as if they had actually known the deceased. These professional mourners often alter their methods to meet the cultural standards in the area where the deceased passed away. Additionally, the “client” gets to meet with Rent-a-Mourners to discuss and establish the story that they want told at their funerals. At the moment, professional mourners is a niche market, but as more people move from the far east to the west, this practice is likely to gain some popularity.

See Melanie Hall, Mourners For Rent Hired To Blub At Funerals, The Telegraph, Mar. 26, 2013.