TikToker fakes his death to test family’s loyalty, then shows up at his own funeral
A 45-year-old TikToker decided to teach his extended family a serious life lesson after feeling they didn’t appreciate him.
David Baerten of Belgium, known as @RagnarleFou on TikTok, went about teaching his friends and extended family a thing or two about the importance of keeping in touch with loved ones by faking his own death, according to a TikTok video posted June 11 by Thomas Faut, a funeral attendee.
Baerten revealed the prank by attending his own funeral, arriving by helicopter and accompanied by a film crew, the TikTok shows.
@el.tiktokeur2 Tu nous as eu on t aime mon ami on est content que tu es parmis nous#pourtoii #fyp #fypシ @Ragnar_le_fou son original - Thomas faut
His loved ones look at the chopper, confused and some even filming on their phones before Baerten steps out and reveals that he was actually alive and well.
Then the hugs came.
@el.tiktokeur2 Tu nous a eu je te le jure j etais en pleure moi et apres j ai eu le choc poto on t aime beaucoup @Ragnar_le_fou @Leclercq Philippe #fyp #pourtoii #fypシ son original - Thomas faut
But Baerten couldn’t execute this fake-out on his own, so his wife and children were in on the secret, according to The Independent. His daughter even took to social media to make the whole thing more believable.
“Rest in peace Daddy. I will never stop thinking about you,” Baerten’s daughter wrote before the ceremony kicked off in Leige, The Independent reported. “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.”
Baerten took to TikTok to explain why he felt the overwhelming prank was necessary in a video posted June 12.
In French, Baerten goes on to say, “What I see in my family often hurts me. I never get invited to anything. Nobody sees me. We all grew apart,” The Times reported. “I felt unappreciated. 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.”
The online opinions on Baerten’s scheme are mixed, with some commentators saying “The ego on this guy must be tremendous.”
Another commenter said, “Now we know why people didn’t like him.”
Others were more understanding, saying, “It’s sad that some family members only see you after you’re dead. God bless you.”
As reported by Sky News, Baerten feels like his joke did help him figure out who he can rely on when loved ones reached out after the saga, saying “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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