I faked my own death to see who would come to my funeral – the result was a disaster

A BONKERS guy faked his own death to see who would come to the funeral but wasn’t impressed with the result.

Baltazar Lemos, 60, from Curitiba, Brazil, decided to put his friendships to the test with the ultimate prank.

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The veteran “ceremonialist,” who has hosted hundreds of funerals, announced his alleged death on social media.

He then planned a mock funeral for his friends and family to attend, to take note of those who hadn’t bothered to show up.

Baltazar had come up with his cunning plan after being dejected when only two mourners showed up at a service he recently held.

But unfortunately, his plan went incredibly awry when his loved ones were furious at the fake death plan.

He told Brazilian outlet Otempo: “I had the idea five months ago. I wanted to make it seem like I really died.

“People interpreted it in their own way. The truth is, I wanted to know who would come to my wake.”

The guy had first uploaded a snap to Facebook showing him smiling and saying he was sending “prayers and good vibes to everyone”.

His friends suspected he was admitted to the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo after examining the background of the picture.

The prankster then played on the speculation by sharing another post the next day claiming he had died.

It read: “Baltazar Lemos left us at the beginning of this sad afternoon. More information will follow shortly.”

Baltazar’s family was appalled by the news as they had no idea he was allegedly suffering from his health.

His nephew rushed to the hospital in a panic and questioned the medics about the sudden death of the master of ceremonies.

But since he had never been admitted and was not actually dead, the hospital staff had no record of Baltazar being there.

His heartbroken loved ones – including his wheelchair-bound octogenarian mother – began to mourn their loss and pay tribute to the prankster.

The Facebook post was also flooded with confused commenters asking for more information, but no further updates were shared.

Instead, details of Baltazar’s mock burial and wake were revealed as mourners flocked to a local chapel for the ceremony.

The bereaved were greeted by his voice blaring from the speakers and delivering a eulogy that left many emotional and shocked.

They believed Baltazar taped the segment before his supposed death – until he burst through the doors.

But instead of being impressed by his dramatic revival, his relatives were furious after coming up with his plan.

They beat him for the “cruel” prank and made him snap for staging the elaborate hoax.

Luckily for Baltazar, he was impressed that more than a few 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 was hoping it would work out.

“I had no intention of hurting, offending or harming anyone. I sincerely apologize to these people.”

His friends have branded him an “attention seeker” and called the stunt a “ridiculous joke”.

One said: “I’ve known him since 2001. I thought the story was awful. I was sad one day and very upset the other.

“For me, he died when I found everything out. It was very tasteless.”

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