Death Cafes. The concept originates from Swiss sociologist Bernard Crettaz, who organized the first café mortel in 2004 to break the "tyrannical secrecy" surrounding death. Jon Underwood (and his mother, Susan) launched the first London Death Cafe in 2011 and created the central website, which provides guidelines for hosts worldwide. The primary objective is to create a safe, confidential space to reduce fear and enable people to live more fully by openly discussing mortality, dreams, and fears!!!