For some, planning one’s funeral sounds like a confronting and grim thought. But for TV icon Ray Martin, he’s relishing the task.
Audiences can expect attendees to include big names in media, politics and entertainment.
(Image: Supplied)Grappling with the concept that he only has a few years left to live, according to national statistics, Ray, 78, is set to take part in SBS’ new eye-opening documentary Ray Martin: The Last Goodbye, where, in order to unpack the last taboo that is death, he will plan out his own funeral while uncovering the trends, cultural rituals and methods Australians are using to shake hands with the Grim Reaper.
With the show still in production and an air date slated for 2024, many of Ray’s funeral details are being kept largely under wraps, but audiences can surely expect an attendee list filled with the biggest names in media, politics and entertainment, and a playlist filled with his favourite artists, including Bob Dylan and John Farnham.
Ray loves spending time with his grandkids.
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While the new role may seem off-colour to some, it seems like the natural next step for Ray, who, after nearly five decades of crossing the globe interviewing the world’s biggest leaders and celebrities, has somewhat calmed things down in order to spend more time with his wife of 55 years Dianne, their two children, Jenna and Luke, and grandchildren Arlo, five, and eight-month-old Harper.
But admitting to Woman’s Day that his grandson had given him an extra “20 years of life”, Ray has still got a whole lot more to do before he’s buried six feet under.
“I’m never going to retire,” he says. “David Attenborough is [in his 90s] and he’s my role model. He says you’ve got to keep doing what you love.”
Ray added that he’d hate to reach the grave and have regrets that he didn’t do enough.
“I lived in New York for 10 years as the ABC correspondent, and I worked eight days a week, and yet I think of all the things I didn’t do and should have done,” he says.
“You have forever to sleep – you’ve got to have a go!”
He has been married to Dianne for 55 years.
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