Raising a laugh at funerals is no Dying Art for this colourful New Zealand coffin maker

When the pallbearers brought Phil McLean’s coffin into the chapel, there were gasps before a wave of laughter rippled through the hundreds of mourners.

The coffin was a giant cream doughnut.

“It overshadowed the sadness and the hard times in the last few weeks,” said his widow, Debra.

The doughnut was the latest creation by Phil’s cousin Ross Hall, who runs a business in Auckland called Dying Art, which custom builds colourful coffins.

Other creations by Mr Hall include a yacht, a fire truck, a chocolate bar and Lego blocks. There have been glittering coffins…