Famous last words are not always as glamorous as they seem, but Hollywood and historians sometimes take liberties with a well-known person's final utterance by making death a dramatic experience.

When people die, their bodies slowly shut down, one system at a time, eventually halting the mechanisms that facilitate speech. By the time they experience delirium, many are also robbed of their ability to speak.

Some doctors have stated that even after a patient is beyond saving or declared dead, the brain may still be able to register acts of love and kindness, as well as the heartfelt goodbyes given at the time.

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