History Main / HatsOffToTheDead

** In "Mokey's Funeral," Junior himself does this as he prepares to bury the Fraggle he thinks he killed (really just a dummy that Mokey made to fool him).

[[folder:Film - Animated]]

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

* ''Series/FraggleRock'':
** In "The Challenge," after the Fraggles lead [[TheDitz Junior Gorg]] to believe he's dead, Boober removes his hat and sings a funeral dirge for him.
-->'''Gobo:''' Boober, he only thinks he's dead.\\
'''Boober:''' I know, but I have great sympathy. The Grim Reaper comes to us all.
** In "Mokey's Funeral," Junior himself does this as he prepares to bury the Fraggle he thinks he killed (really just a dummy that Mokey made to fool him).

* On the episode of Series/TheMuppetShow featuring Peter Sellers, Fozzie tells Kermit that the next scheduled act, Prunella and her Prancing Poultry, has canceled. When Kermit asks why, Fozzie removes his hat and says "yesterday, duck hunting season began." On the plus side, this does lead to Kermit coming out on stage to perform what would become his signature song "Bein' Green".

* When the [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} usually chaotic and bubbly]] [=GoodTimesWithScar=] learned his fellow ''LetsPlay/HermitcraftServer'' member [=TinfoilChef=] had passed away in Season 9, he took his hard hat off after he built the tree memorial and gave the viewers a topic about what matters in life.

* In the sequel to ''Literature/TheIndianInTheCupboard'', ''The Return of the Indian'' Boone removes his hat when he realizes that his horse has been fatally wounded by Omri's cat and will have to be [[MercyKill put out of his pain.]] Omri recognizes the gesture's meaning from having seen it in movies.

* On the episode of Series/TheMuppetShow featuring Peter Sellers, Fozzzie tells Kermit that the next scheduled act, Prunella and her Prancing Poultry, has canceled. When Kermit asks why, Fozzie removes his hat and says "yesterday, duck hunting season began." On the plus side, this does lead to Kermit coming out on stage to perform what would become his signature song "Bein' Green".

* ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'': Whenever visiting the grave of a friend or visiting a friend in the hospital, Walker and Trivette would always take off their cowboy hats as a gesture of respect.

* When the [[Cloudcuckoolander usually chaotic and bubbly]] [=GoodTimesWithScar=] learned his fellow ''LetsPlay/HermitcraftServer'' member [=TinfoilChef=] had passed away in Season 9, he took his hard hat off after he built the tree memorial and gave the viewers a topic about what matters in life.

* Zigzagged and PlayedForLaughs in ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird''. As King Harold drifts in and out of consciousness, Puss' hat repeatedly goes off his head and back on again. Ultimately played straight when Harold finally croaks.

* Parodied in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2''. In the promotional video "Meet the Sniper", RED Sniper is shown taking off his hat and bowing his head after stabbing BLU Spy with his machete. In the game proper, this is one of the Sniper's taunts.

* Done somewhat mockingly in ''Film/{{Sisu}}'' by the [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi villains]] Hellendorf, Wolf, and the tank driver to [[spoiler:Aatami after they (unsuccesfully) hang him]], although there might be some genuine [[WorthyOpponent respect]] involved.

* Done somewhat mockingly in Film/{{Sisu}} by the [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi villains]] Hellendorf, Wolf, and the tank driver to [[spoiler:Aatami after they (unsuccesfully) hang him]], although there might be some genuine [[WorthyOpponent respect]] involved.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'': In "The Rowdyruff Boys", the Mayor does this when [[EverybodyCries everyone in Townsville cries]] after the Powerpuff Girls are defeated and apparently dead.

And if those people sport a NiceHat, there's a healthy chance that it's going to be on their chest rather than their head.

* ''Series/SevenOfOne'': Played for laughs in the 1973 Creator/LaurelAndHardy homage ''Another Fine Mess'': As the DisasterDominoes the duo have set off wreck a luxury flat, a horrified Harry (the Oliver Hardy impersonator) takes his hat off and holds it across his chest.

* Zigzagged and PlayedForLaughs in ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird''. As King Harold drifts in and out of consciousness, Puss' hat repeatedly goes off his head and back on again. Ultimately played straight when Harold finally croaks.

* ''Film/SongOfTheSouth'': After tossing Br'er Rabbit into the briar patch ([[BriarPatching just like he wanted]]), Br'er Fox takes off his hat out of respect. He then notices that Br'er Bear hasn't taken off his, so he swipes it off his head and forces it onto Bear's chest.
* ''WesternAnimation/PeterPan'': After the TimeBomb he laid to kill Peter goes off, Captain Hook takes off his hat to "a worthy opponent", as does Mr. Smee. (Pan, of course, survives.)
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'': The mice draw straws (actually, their own tails) to see who has to distract Lucifer while the others get breakfast. Jaq gets picked, and the others take off their hats to show they think it's a guaranteed death sentence.

* ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'': The dwarfs all remove their caps when mourning Snow White's DisneyDeath, as does the Prince when he arrives, before he administers the TrueLovesKiss that wakes her.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AliceInWonderland'', Tweedledum and Tweedledee stir up Alice's interest in the story of "The Walrus and the Carpenter" by alluding to "what happened to the oysters," then removing their hats and sobbing "Poor things!" As it turns out, the oysters were all eaten by the Walrus.

* ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade''. Indiana Jones is on top of a tank as it topples over the edge of a cliff. After it falls, Sallah, Indy's father and Marcus Brody rush over to the edge of the cliff and look down. Since it appears that Indy has fallen to his death, Sallah takes off his fez.
* Near the end of ''Film/TheHuntForRedOctober'', when the rescued crew of the titular submarine think it was destroyed (and their Captain and officers with it), they remove their caps and bow their heads.
* ''Film/MoulinRouge'': Chocolat removes his turban after Satine dies.
* In ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'', the new Bluesmobile lasts just long enough to get the boys to where they need to go before literally [[CriticalExistenceFailure falling to pieces]] on the sidewalk. (It's one of the hints that they really are on a MissionFromGod.) Elwood honors the car with a moment of silence, holding his hat over his heart.
* In the final scene of the 1933 film of ''Literature/DonQuixote'', after Quixote's DeathByDespair when he sees his books of chivalry publicly burned, all the men in the once-jeering, now-pitying crowd remove their hats.
* In ''Film/StarTrekGenerations'', the ''Enterprise''-D crew is holding a nautical-themed celebration in the holodeck for Worf's promotion, so everyone is in full period costume. Partway into the festivities, Picard receives a personal message from Earth. We later learn his brother and nephew have died in a fire, but we immediately know the message is serious when a devastated Picard steps away from the console and removes his hat.
* In ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'', Kincade does this after M takes her last breath in Bond's arms.

* Played for laughs in the 1973 Creator/LaurelAndHardy homage ''Another Fine Mess'': As the DisasterDominoes the duo have set off wreck a luxury flat, a horrified Harry (the Oliver Hardy impersonator) takes his hat off and holds it across his chest.

* ''Series/TheTorkelsons'': In the episode "Swear Not By the Moon" where Dorothy Jane stars in her school production of ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'', in the final scene of the ShowWithinAShow, Lord Capulet and Lord Montague [[ItMakesSenseInContext take off their cowboy hats]] when they discover their children's bodies.
* At the end of the ''Series/DadsArmy'' episode "Round and Round Went the Great Big Wheel", Corporal Jones is able to knock out the SecretWeapon (a radio-controlled version of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panjandrum The Great Panjandrum]] by cutting off its radio aerial. The weapon topples on its side, causing Jones to say aghast, "Mr Mainwaring, I've killed it!" Funeral music plays and everyone takes off their hats and helmets.

[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
* On the episode of Series/TheMuppetShow featuring Peter Sellers, Fozzzie tells Kermit that the next scheduled act, Prunella and her Prancing Poultry, has canceled. When Kermit asks why, Fozzie removes his hat and says "yesterday, duck hunting season began." On the plus side, this does lead to Kermit coming out on stage to perform what would become his signature song "Bein' Green".
[[/folder]]

* In ''Videogame/{{Overwatch}}'', resident cowboy [=McCree=] does this as a victory pose.

[[folder:Web Comic]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': In "Band Geeks", Squidward trains several Bikini Bottom people for a marching band. The two flag spinners at the front spin their flags too fast, causing them to fly and then collide with a flying zeppelin to their deaths. The other marching band members hold their hats on their chest while the trumpeter plays "Taps".
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'': In "The Rowdyruff Boys", the Mayor does this when [[EverybodyCries everyone in Townsville cries]] after the Powerpuff Girls are defeated and apparently dead.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': In "Ghosts in the Machine", when Bender finally manages to kill himself, Professor Farnsworth instructs everybody to put on their taking off caps, saying "it's a sign of respect, you numbskull!" to Fry.

* In ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'', TheAllegedCar lasts just long enough to get the boys to where they need to go before the engine completely dies. (It's one of the hints that they really are on a MissionFromGod.) Elwood honors the car with a moment of silence, holding his hat over his heart.

* As the climax of ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'' nears its conclusion, the hat-wearers in the family doff their headwear as Hector starts to succumb to the FinalDeath. [[spoiler:He gets better, though.]]