The idea of faking your own death seems crazy. And if you think so, well, here’s a crazy story for you.
A man by the name of David Baerten, a well-known TikToker from Belgium, decided he was going to stage his own death in the most outrageous way possible. After all of his friends and family had gathered to pay their respects, he showed up at his own funeral in a helicopter.
It’s hard to imagine the shock on his loved ones’ faces.
The question then became, why would someone do such a thing?
Apparently, Baerten, who goes by the handle @ragnar_le_fou on TikTok, wanted to teach his family a lesson about the importance of staying connected. He felt like he wasn’t being appreciated enough by some of his relatives, so he came up with this elaborate “prank” to make a point.
Baerten spilled the beans about his little stunt on a French chat show called Touche Pas a Mon Poste, known to locals at TPMP. He told the cast of the show that he felt ‘unappreciated’ by certain family members.
And what better way to let them know than by going to such extremes?
Now, whether you find Baerten’s prank insane or hilarious, it’s definitely one for the books. We can only hope that his loved ones have any more ‘appreciation’ for him after this.
David, who’s 45 years old, made the grand entrance at his own funeral with a hired film crew documenting the event. The viral footage, originally shared on TikTok by Thomas Faut, featured the moment he touched down.
In the video, you can see mourners looking on in absolute astonishment as Baertan’s helicopter gracefully touches down in a nearby field. As the helicopter’s door swings open, the dramatic scene momentarily shifts to a separate clip with a crowd of his friends and family enthusiastically surrounding him. Surprisingly enough, they welcomed him back from the dead with a relatively warm embrace.
According to The Times, Baerten expressed that he was feeling “hurt” due to a lack of invitations from his own family to various events.
He candidly shared, “I had been feeling invisible for quite some time. Our family gradually drifted apart, and I started to feel unvalued.” Baerten then explained his wild motivation behind orchestrating the prank, stating, “I wanted to impart a life lesson on them and demonstrate that waiting until someone passes away to reconnect is not the way to go.”
However, he later admitted during an appearance on TPMP that the entire spectacle was premeditated.
Thomas shared another TikTok with one of Baerten’s family members, tenderly embracing him while crying. Even though the situation was strange, to say the least, it was a heartfelt moment.
His family member expressed how much he cared about him, saying, “You got us. I swear I was in tears, and then I was shocked. Buddy, we love you deeply.”
According to The Sun, one of Baerten’s daughters posted a few mourning messages on social media prior to the ceremony, which took place near Liege in Belgium.
“Rest in peace, Daddy. Your memory will forever occupy my thoughts. Why is life so unjust? Why did it have to be you?”
Dressed in black, Baerten’s family and friends gathered for what they believed to be a genuine funeral. They noted the anticipation was heavy as they patiently awaited the ceremony’s commencement.
Clearly, they were unaware of the surprise awaiting them.
With the ever-growing TikTok user base, we expect pranks like this will get even more out of control in the coming years.
TikTok has evolved beyond an entertainment platform for pranks, ASMR cooking vids, and social experiments. For many young people, it serves as a source of news. A recent report highlights that the younger generation is increasingly relying on TikTok and Instagram influencers for news updates rather than looking to traditional journalists or media outlets.
The Reuters-driven study, which was conducted by the University of Oxford, revealed that around 50% of all Instagram and TikTok users obtain their news from internet “personalities” active on these platforms.
This shift in the way young people consume news demonstrates the growing trust placed in social media influencers.
