A Florida musician, known as Midnight Prince on YouTube, paid an extraordinary tribute to his late uncle by crafting a guitar from his skeleton. His uncle, Filip, had tragically passed away in 1996 at the age of 28 following a motorcycle accident in Greece. Filip’s remains were initially donated to a local medical college for research but were later returned to the family after Greece banned the use of real bones for educational purposes.
In a 2021 interview with HuffPost, Midnight Prince revealed that his uncle’s skeleton had been stored in a cemetery, where his family had to pay rent. “After 20 years, he ended up in a cemetery my family had to pay rent on. Like, literally in a wooden box,” Prince shared. He also explained the challenge posed by Greece’s Orthodox religion, which prohibited cremation.
Determined to honor his uncle in a meaningful way, Prince decided to bring the skeleton to the U.S. with the help of a funeral home. His family was unaware of his plans at the time. Prince also refused to buy a cemetery plot, opting instead to turn the remains into a functional guitar.
With the help of friends who doubted the guitar’s potential, Prince set out to create the “Skelecaster.” To connect the guitar’s neck to the skeleton, he attached a metal rod to the spine. He also ensured the neck and bridge were parallel so that the strings could ring freely. Despite the difficulty, Prince was resolute in his mission to craft a guitar that would pay a lasting tribute to his late uncle.
