TikTok's death-fluencers upend funeral care, sharing secrets of the trade

A new generation of funeral directors is turning to TikTok to demystify death, sharing behind-the-scenes details of the trade and answering the public’s questions about what happens after someone dies. Known as “death-fluencers,” these young operators are building large audiences as they describe routine tasks, the products they use, and the delicate care families expect. Their aim, they say, is to remove fear and stigma around death by offering a level of openness that was once rare in the industry. Notable among them are Jacob Walsh of Casselden & Walsh Funeral Directors in Goole, East Yorkshire, who has built a following of tens of thousands and rising; Hayleigh Davis, known as MortuaryTechUK, with hundreds of thousands of followers; Hollie James of Hollie James Funeral Directors in Radstock, Somerset; and Freddie Powell, a Salford funeral director with a significant online audience.

Jacob Walsh’s daily ritual at Casselden & Walsh begins each morning just after eight. He unlocks the front door, leads visitors through a wood-panelled interior to the Chapel of Rest, and then knocks on the heavy door of the morgue. “We always knock before we enter. And we always say ‘Morning!’,” he explains. Once inside, the team reviews the day’s orders on a whiteboard, slips on a green plastic apron, and greets each staff member by name. The morning may include a wash, a shave, and a dressing of the body for the final journey—whether that means a suit, a onesie, a football shirt, or a dressing gown. If the family has requested it, music may be played—anything from Elvis to jazz to heavy metal. But even when the mood is quiet, the work is intimate, and the talk around the room is gentle as morticians prepare the deceased for their last farewell. They perform suturing with a plastic mouth guard and curved needle, seal eyelids, and rely heavily on cotton wool for preservation and presentation.

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