First time, shortly after graduating college, he got tired of the Alumni Association contacting him asking for money. So the next time they called, he said “Oh, hadn’t you heard? He died on [random date].” It stopped the calls. But it also led to an obit in the alumni newsletter, so his wife started getting distraught calls from fellow grads who didn’t know. Fortunately, she knew what was going on and calmed the old friends.
Second time, it actually saved his life. He was a victim of workplace violence - a coworker went off the deep end because of some perceived injustice and brought a gun to work. He started shooting those he considered to be responsible, including my friend. Said friend had the presence of mind to collapse, heave a “final” breath, and lie still, and the shooter moved on and eventually killed himself. My friend survived and made a scrapbook that included news clippings and copies of his x-rays. He manages to work it into conversations way more often than necessary, especially since it happened over 25 years ago.
When I first moved in with my gf I was dismayed by the amount of mail each day addressed to her ex husband, whose forwarding order had long expired . Additionally, my gf had no idea where he was living.
After getting her ok, I began opening each piece of mail. If there was a return postage paid envelope enclosed, I’d write a note, explaining that Mr Ex had passed away, and mail to him was painful for his grieving widow.
The amount of mail to ex decreased over the years, but it’s a small world and eventually the “grieving widow” got a sympathy card from someone she didn’t know.
Back in 1999 I started working for our local public television station. My title was “Spotlight Editor.” (Spotlight was/is the name of the printed program guide.) Unbeknownst to me, my position had been occupied by four long gone individuals, none lasting more than two years. These four individuals received plenty of marketing, promotional, etc., type mail. I got it all, but my job had nothing to do with any aspect of the mail.
I did the same thing FairyChatMom’s friend did. I pretended to be a mid-level manager and sent out letters on studio letterhead informing the senders that these individuals were all dead. I further indicated that the position they held had been eliminated. It took about 18 months and 20 letters, but my mail dried up completely.
I used to be a Trade Union rep and had quite a few prisons under my remit, one is called HMP Holme House - used to go up there now and then on personal cases and also to meet with another rep who is very good, came across this whilst I was up there - not a member of my union fortunately because it almost certainly entailed interviews and investigations of his former work colleagues - both for the criminal investigation but also from the employer HR standards of behaviour and the relevant union rep would have had loads of their time taken up on the resultant personal case work.
I have gotten spam calls and texts for “Thomas” for some years, and most recently also for “Lesley”. Only very recently, the calls have asked for them using their last name (Rogers / Rodgers).
This happens a lot less often now that I’ve taken to tearfully announcing Tom’s (or Lesley’s) recent death, usually due to something related to whatever the scammers are selling (“Tom… my Tom (sob) DIED last month, in an ACCIDENT in THAT CAR!!”). I’m waiting for a chance to announce Lesley’s death due to a tree falling on the house due to the windstorm the scammers are offering to clean up after.
I don’t know them, but a family friend’s brother kind of did- he went to Australia on holiday, contacted the family once shortly after he arrived, then just… vanished. After several months he was reported missing, after the required amount of time - something like 5 years of being untraceable - he was declared dead, presumed lost somewhere in the outback as he was into hiking and had implied that a trek in the desert was planned.
12 years later, he showed back up in the UK.
Turns out, he met someone, and basically just did a vanishing act in some remote town so he could overstay his visa, until the relationship broke up, at which point he decided to go home. The real crazy thing was, he apparently didn’t think anyone would mind, just showed back up like nothing had happened…