Man fakes his own death to teach family a lesson, then shows up at funeral in helicopter

David Baerten shows up at his own funeral in a helicopter

A Belgian man faked his own death to teach his family a lesson – and then showed up to his own funeral in a helicopter.

David Baerten, 45, who goes by Ragnar le Fou on social media, carried out an elaborate prank on his extended family to teach them the importance of staying in touch. To fake his own death, he took his wife and children into confidence.

One of Baerten’s daughters wrote a tearful post on social media confirming his death. “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,” she wrote on TikTok, according to The Independent.

But when Baerten’s family gathered to pay their last respects, the 45-year-old Belgian surprised everyone by touching down at his own funeral in a helicopter.

A Belgian man has explained why he faked his own death and turned up to his “funeral” in a helicopter, to the shock of his loved ones.

David Baerten, 45, claimed he carried out the elaborate “prank” to teach members of his family a lesson about the importance of staying in touch… pic.twitter.com/HEKG7HnlNf

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Speaking to Times of London, Baerten said he decided to pull the elaborate stunt to teach his family a “life lesson” as he felt unappreciated by them.

“I never get invited to anything. Nobody sees me. We all grew apart. I felt unappreciated,” he 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.”