'Unappreciated' man shows up at his own funeral to teach his family a lesson

A Belgian father faked his own death and made an elaborate entrance at his funeral in a jaw-dropping bid to teach his family a lesson.

David Baerten, 45, left his loved-ones in a state of shock when he interrupted the service by turning up in a helicopter with a video crew to capture the moment.

The TikToker, who goes by the name Ragnar le Fou, later explained that he wanted to make a point about the importance of keeping in touch.

In an interview with French chat show Touche Pas à Mon Poste (TPMP), Baerten explained that he felt “unappreciated” by his relatives because he never got invited to barbecues and other gatherings.

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He said he wanted to show them that “you shouldn’t wait until someone is dead to meet up” and insisted that his intention was to bring his family together.

The prankster revealed that his wife was, initially, the only person who knew about the elaborate ruse and that she’d implored him not to go ahead with it.

He admitted that an emotional dedication about him published ahead of the memorial was penned by his own hand.

He also, reluctantly, told TPMP that he’d allowed his kids to believe that they’d lost their father for a “couple of days” before letting them in on the act.

During that time, his daughter posted a heartbroken message on Facebook, saying: “Rest in peace, Daddy. I will never stop thinking about you. 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.”

Eventually, he told her the whole thing was a ploy, but only because he was ordered to by his film crew.

When he asked if the production team would be willing to document his stunt, they replied that they’d do so only if he let his children and sister know the truth.

But, Baerten insisted, he was sure she “half-knew” it was a lie from the start.

Asked how he felt about his mourners’ response to the extraordinary escapade he admitted that he’d instantly regretted the whole thing.

“As soon as I started receiving messages from people and videos of them crying, I wished I could cancel the whole thing, but it was too late. I asked myself, ‘What have you done this?’ but it was too late,” he said.

“I’m sorry to all the people I hurt,” he continued. “I hate hurting people."

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