Man fakes his own death and shocks friends and family by showing up to his own funeral

People have been left divided after a TikToker pranked his family into thinking he was dead and then showed up at his own funeral.

It can't just be me who's wondered what people would say about them at their funeral?

Well, one man decided to take matters into his own hands to make sure he didn't actually have to die and float above his ceremony as a ghost to find out.

After claiming to 'never' being 'invited to anything' and not feeling 'see[n]' by family and friends, TikTok creator David Baerten worked alongside his wife and children to teach other loved ones a lesson.

He told The Times that he 'grew apart' with some of his close friends and family and was left feeling 'unappreciated'.

He continued: "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."

To make the plan even more believable, Baerten’s daughter even shared a fake tribute post to social media, writing: "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."

Baerten then staged his funeral near Liege, Belgium and guests got the fright of their life when a helicopter appeared overhead with not just a film crew, but Baerten on board too.

A fellow TikTok user in attendance shared footage of the aircraft landing as friends and family gathered.

As Baerten stepped out of the helicopter, many rushed over to greet and hug, with many seemingly overcome with emotion.

In one video, a man is seen embracing the content creator while crying on his shoulder.

Baerten also told the Mail Online that only half his family showed up, and this stunt proved who ‘really cared about him’.

"Those who didn't come did contact me to meet up. So in a way, I did win,” he added.

But the prank was met with significant backlash online, with many deeming it cruel.

One X user said: "1) *Faked his own death for #content 2) The fallout from this kind of ‘prank’ should've resulted in him ACTUALLY needing a funeral tbh."

Another commented: "This is what some thought Logan Roy was going to do in Succession."

While a third said: "S**t like this is probably why they weren’t staying in touch."