Dying wishes may include gestures such as scattering ashes at a special place or donating to a charity, but one YouTuber shocked the internet after revealing her father's slightly unconventional final request.
Rosanna Pansino, whose father died from leukemia, revealed this week that her father's dying wish required more than just a green finger.
Pansino told Newsweek that her dad, known as "Papa Pizza," was her best friend—and a bit of a rebel. "My dad was definitely a Willie Nelson-type. As we grew closer through life, he told me that his dying wish was to have his ashes put in soil, grow a cannabis plant, and to smoke it," Pansino said.
While the wish initially surprised her family—her mom in particular—the 39-year-old knew she had to honor it. "Ever since the day he told me for the first time about what he wanted, I knew it was something that I had to fulfill for him at some point. It was a very touching but bittersweet moment for us," Pansino told Newsweek.
She broke the news on her podcast Roduculous where she told the listeners that her YouTube rep advised her not to go ahead with the episode. "I'm sure it'll get age-restricted, demonetized, and probably suppressed in the algorithm, but I do not care," she said in a clip on X (@RosannaPansino).
The YouTuber, who has 14.6 million subscribers on the platform, decided that because it had been a few years since her father's passing, it was time to honor him the way he would have wanted.
"I went into it not knowing too much about growing a cannabis plant," Pansino told Newsweek. After mixing her father's ashes into the soil, she sought the help of an expert, known online as Stoned Ninja.
Footage of Pansino and her mom potting the plants has been viewed more than 2.5 million times and garnered over 36,000 likes on X. Many users were notably shocked by Papa Pizza's wish: "No one else finds this a little strange?" one questioned, while another commented: "Nothing in my life could have prepared me for this."
For others, it provided inspiration: "This is how I want to go out," @teamBasilio wrote.
The result was a harvested cannabis plant that has been transformed into joints (rolled in pink rolling paper) that Pansino has shared with family and close friends. "In a special way it helps me feel still connected to him and reminds me of the wonderful times we had together," she said.
Dedicating the first episode of Rodiculous to her dad, Pansino didn't know what to expect after sharing his story.
"He was the one who always encouraged me to find my voice and speak up. I wasn't expecting such a big response, but the heartfelt messages I'm receiving on nearly all platforms from people having similar experiences, or wanting to learn more, make it well worth it," she said.
"He would have gotten a big kick out of seeing my family sharing this moment together," Pansino added.
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