TikToker fakes death to test family's loyalty

Source: Sky News

A Belgian TikToker faked his own death to find out who cared and then turned up to his own funeral.

David Baerten, 45, and his wife and children decided to prank 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 her father.

She wrote: "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."

The funeral, which was staged 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, they were met by a landing helicopter.

In the video posted on TikTok by a funeral attendee, Mr. Baerten stepped out of the helicopter alongside a camera crew and was then greeted by mourners.

Some of Mr. Baerten's family and friends are seen running up to him in the footage amid emotional exchanges, while others remain confused and perplexed in the car park.

@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

According to The Times, the TikToker said that he faked his death to see how his wider family would react and said he felt "underappreciated" by them.

He added: "What I see in my family often hurts me, I never get invited to anything. Nobody sees me.

"We all grew apart. 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."

Mr. Baerten, also known as Ragnar le Fou on TikTok, claimed some loved ones have been reaching out to him since the prank adding it "proves who really cares about me. Those who didn't come did contact me to meet up. So in a way, I did win."