To spread the news of the man’s death, one of his children took to social media and wrote a tribute to his father. Many family and friends came to the funeral but were shocked to see the TikToker alive and well.
A Belgian TikToker faked his own death to find out who cared, then showed up at his own funeral.
45-year-old David Baerten and his wife and children decided to play a prank on friends and family members to find out what they really thought of him.
To spread the news of Mr Baerten’s death, one of his children took to social media and wrote a tribute to his father.
She wrote: “Rest in peace dad. I will never stop thinking about you.
“Why is life so unfair? Why you? You were about to become a grandfather, and you still had your whole life ahead of you.
“I love you! We love you! We will never forget you.”
The funeral, held last weekend near the city of Liege, was attended by many friends and family members dressed in black.
Everyone was waiting for the ceremony to begin, but instead a landing helicopter was waiting for them.
Photo: Screenshot from a TikTok video
In the video posted on TikTok from a funeral attendee Mr. Baerten emerged from the helicopter with a camera crew and was then greeted by mourners.
Some of Mr Baerten’s family and friends are seen running towards him in the footage amid an emotional exchange, while others remain confused and bewildered in the car park.
According to The Times, the TikToker said he faked his death to see how his extended family would react and said he felt “underappreciated” by them.
He added: “What I see in my family often hurts me, they never invite me to anything. Nobody can see me.
“We all split up. I felt unappreciated.
“That’s why I wanted to give them a life lesson and show them that you don’t have to wait for someone to die to meet them.”
Mr Baerten, also known as Ragnar le Fou on TikTok, claimed that some loved ones had contacted him after the prank, adding that it “proves who really cares about me. Those who did not come contacted me to see each other. So in a way I won.”