A 60-year-old Brazilian man took the extreme measure of faking his own death and staging a phony funeral to see who among his friends and family would attend to pay their respects, only to face their fury when the truth was revealed.
In Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, a man named Baltazar Lemos took the drastic step of faking his own death and orchestrating a phony funeral to see who would attend to pay their respects. This peculiar idea mirrored an episode of the popular TV show Friends, where the character Ross Geller performed a similar act with equally disastrous consequences. Lemos announced his death on social media and organized a fraudulent funeral, inviting his friends and family to participate in the celebration of his life.
Lemos was no stranger to funerals, as he frequently conducted them for his local community, overseeing hundreds of ceremonies that commemorated the lives of others. He remembered one particular funeral with only two attendees, an experience that left him deeply saddened and determined to avoid a similar fate.
In January, Lemos shared a photo of himself on social media with a message wishing everyone “prayers and good vibes.” The photo showed him at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, which raised suspicions about his health. The next day, he posted a message claiming he had passed away, leaving his family and friends in shock.
Upon learning of Lemos’s supposed death, his nephew rushed to the hospital to inquire about the circumstances surrounding his uncle’s demise. However, the hospital staff informed him that Lemos was not dead and had never been admitted to the facility. Meanwhile, unaware of the hoax, Lemos’s devastated elderly mother and other relatives began making funeral and wake arrangements, sharing the details on social media.
People from Lemos’s hometown gathered at a chapel in Curitiba for the funeral. As the ceremony began, Lemos’s voice unexpectedly filled the room, recounting his life story over the course of six decades. The mourners initially believed he had recorded his own eulogy prior to his death. The astonishment only grew when Lemos made a dramatic entrance, revealing himself to be alive and well.
The attendees, enraged by Lemos’s deception and the expensive funeral, accused him of inhumane cruelty. Lemos attempted to justify his actions as a test to see who would attend his funeral, but his explanation fell on deaf ears. In an interview with Brazilian outlet Otempo, Lemos said, “I had the idea five months ago. I wanted to make it look like I really died. People interpreted it in their own way. The truth is that I wanted to know who would come to my wake.”
Lemos offered an apology for his actions, saying, “I didn’t tell anyone because I hoped it would work out. I had no intention of hurting, offending or causing any harm to anyone. I truly apologize to these people.” However, his former friends were far from impressed, with one stating, “when I found out everything. It was in very bad taste.”
Source: AWM
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