Belgian TikToker David Baerten orchestrated his own falsified death and funeral to prank his extended family to see who actually cares about him.
In cahoots with his wife and children, news spread of his “death” on social media with a heartfelt online tribute from one of his kids.
“Rest in peace, Daddy. I will never stop thinking about you,” the daughter wrote, according to the Times UK. “Why is life so unfair? Why you? You were going to be a grandfather, and you still had your whole life ahead of you. I love you! We love you! We will never forget you.”
The 45-year-old’s pseudo-funeral was held this past weekend near the city of Liege where many of his friends and extended family members attended. As people waited for the ceremony to begin, instead of being met by a hearse, a helicopter landed and Baerten disembarked.
In the presence of a camera crew, the “deceased man” jumped out of the aircraft, greeting his mornings with, “Cheers to you all—welcome to my funeral.”
Some funeral attendees remained in the parking, shocked and confused while others ran through a field to celebrate Baerten’s “return from the dead” with big embraces.
The prankster began to explain himself after realizing some were noticeably displeased, saying he felt taken for granted and didn’t like the treatment he was receiving from family and friends.
“What I see in my family often hurts me, I never get invited to anything. Nobody sees me. We all grew apart. I felt unappreciated,” Baerten said. “That’s why I wanted to give them a life lesson and show them that you shouldn’t wait until someone is dead to meet up with them.”
Baerten went on to add that since the prank, more loved ones have been in closer contact saying it “proves who really cares about me. Those who didn’t come did contact me to meet up. So in a way, I did win.”
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