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Man fakes death, then turns up at funeral in helicopter. Here's why

Belgium's David Baerten says he was disheartened because of not being close to his extended family members and wanted to teach them a lesson

Published: Fri 16 Jun 2023, 9:59 AM

Updated: Mon 23 Oct 2023, 10:15 AM

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Screenshot: Twitter

Screenshot: Twitter

A Belgian man has faked his own death and then turned up at the funeral in a helicopter to teach “family a lesson” about staying in touch. A video of the incident has been widely shared on social media.

David Baerten, known as Ragnar le Fou on TikTok, said he was disheartened because of not being close to his extended family members. “What I see in my family often hurts me,” the 45-year-old father said, reported The Times.

David Baerten shared that he never got invited “to anything” and that “we all grew apart”. “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,” he added.

Before playing the prank, David Baerten shared the plan with his daughter and wife, who supported and offered help to him. The daughter circulated fake news about his death on social media making sure that it reaches their relatives, the report said.

“Rest in peace, Daddy. I will never stop thinking about you,” she wrote. “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 mourning message shared by the daughter read.

On the day of his staged funeral, David Baerten arrived in a helicopter leaving his relatives and friends surprised. “Cheers to you all, welcome to my funeral,” he said while being filmed by a crew. Baerten then shared an emotional moment with his loved ones as everyone gathered around and hugged him.

According to David Baerten, only half of his family attended his funeral but others contacted him after the prank. “That proves who cares about me,” Baerten said, adding that “so in a way, I did win”.

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