I faked my own death to see who would come to my funeral – the result was a disaster
A BONKERS bloke faked his own death to see who would come to the funeral but was left less than impressed with the result.
Baltazar Lemos, 60, from Curitiba, Brazil, decided to put his friendships to the test with the ultimate prank.
The experienced ‘ceremonialist’, who has hosted hundreds of funerals, announced his pretend passing on social media.
He then planned a hoax burial for his friends and family to attend to take note of who hadn’t bothered to turn up.
Baltazar had come up with his crafty plan after being dejected when only two mourners turned up to a service he had recently conducted.
But unfortunately, his scheme went incredibly awry when his loved ones were left furious at the fake death plot.
He told Brazilian outlet Otempo: “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.”
The bloke had first uploaded a snap to Facebook showing him smiling, saying he was sending “prayers and good vibes with everyone”.
His pals presumed he had been admitted into the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo after taking a closer look at the background of the image.
The jokester then played on the speculation by sharing another post the following day claiming he had died.
It read: “At the beginning of this sad afternoon, Baltazar Lemos left us. More information coming soon.”
Baltazar’s family were left horrified by the news as they had no idea he was supposedly suffering with his health.
His panicked nephew raced to the hospital and quizzed medics about the ceremonialist’s sudden death.
But as he had never been admitted and was not actually dead, hospital staff had no record of Baltazar being there.
His heartbroken loved ones – including his wheelchair-bound octogenarian mother – began mourning their loss and paid tribute to the prankster.
The Facebook post was also flooded with confused commenters asking for more information, but no other updates were shared.
Details of Baltazar’s sham funeral and wake were instead revealed, seeing mourners flock to a local chapel for the ceremony.
The bereaved were greeted by his voice bellowing out of the speakers delivering a eulogy, leaving many emotional and shocked.
They believed Baltazar had recorded the segment before his supposed death – until he burst through the doors.
But instead of being wowed by his dramatic revival, his relatives were furious after working out his plan.
They slammed him for the “cruel” prank and let rip at him for staging the elaborate hoax.
Luckily for Baltazar, he was left impressed that more than a couple of people showed up – although he might not get the same reception next time.
He said of the reaction to his fake death: “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 apologise to these people.”
His pals have branded him an “attention seeker” and described the stunt as a “ridiculous joke.”
One said: “I’ve known him since 2001. I thought the story was horrible. I spent one day sad and the other very indignant.
“For me, he died when I found out everything. It was in very bad taste.”
