Man fakes his own FUNERAL to see who would show up – just like Ross Geller in Friends (with similarly disastrous results)

Have you ever wondered what your own funeral will be like or who will attend? Well, a curious Brazilian faked his own death to find out.

Baltazar Lemos (60) from Curitiba, Paraná, announced his death on social media and organized a fake funeral for his friends and family.

Lemos regularly holds funerals and has led hundreds of ceremonies commemorating other people’s lives. He shared how sad he felt after leading a service with only two people in attendance, compared to other services that saw more than 500 people.

Similar to the Friends episode where Ross Geller held a mock funeral to see which of his old colleagues would attend, Lemos pulled off the hoax to see who would show up. Unfortunately for the 60-year-old Brazilian, his burial had similar disastrous results to that of the fictional paleontologist.

Similar to the Friends episode where Ross Geller held a mock funeral to see which of his old colleagues would attend, Lemos pulled off the hoax to see who would show up.

Lemos posted a seemingly innocent and happy photo of himself on his Facebook page earlier this month and “shared prayers and good vibes to everyone”.

However, Lemos’ friends could see from the background of the image that he was at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, suggesting that he was admitted there.

Another message appeared a day later announcing that he had passed away.

“Baltazar Lemos left us at the beginning of this sad afternoon. More information will follow soon,” read the post on social media.

This left Lemos’ family in shock. They didn’t know he was sick.

His cousin rushed to the Sao Paulo hospital to ask the medical staff about him. But since he was never admitted and was not actually dead, hospital staff had no record of his being there.

Concerned friends were saddened by his death – including his wheelchair-bound eight-year-old mother – and began to pay tribute to him and his life. Many responded to the post asking for details about his death and its cause, but no further information was provided.

Details of the funeral and wake for a ceremony commemorating Lemos’ life were soon announced on the Facebook page.

“Baltazar Lemos left us at the beginning of this sad afternoon. More information will follow soon,” read a post on social media announcing his death

Baltazar Lemos regularly conducts funerals and has led hundreds of ceremonies commemorating other people’s lives

Friends and family soon gathered to pay their respects to the Brazilian at a chapel in his hometown of Curitiba. But as soon as the ceremony began, Lemos’ voice began to roar from the loudspeakers, describing his 60-year life.

Those present were shocked and tears welled up in many people’s eyes. Mourners believed Lemos recorded the tape before his presumed death.

Other doors then flew open and Lemos’ friends and family were confronted by the man.

The mourners were stunned and confused while the tears of many present continued to flow.

The mock funeral didn’t seem to have the results Lemos expected. When he tried to explain what happened and why he wanted to fake his death, the congregation, who were saddened by his death, now became angry and began to accuse him of cruelty.

If it was any consolation to Lemos, his funeral was attended by more people than the two old colleagues who attended Ross Geller’s wake.

“I did not intend to hurt, offend or hurt anyone,” Lemos said

Lemos told Brazilian outlet Otempo: “The idea came to me five months ago. I wanted to make it look like I was really dead. People interpreted it in their own way. The truth is that I wanted to know who was after me wake up.”

He also apologized for his antics. “I didn’t tell anyone because I hoped it would work out. It was not my intention to hurt, offend or hurt anyone. I sincerely apologize to these people.’

Social media users quickly learned of the disastrous funeral. One of them wrote: “You got what you wanted Baltazar to get attention. All groups of event photographers talk about their “death”. Everyone mourned. What a ridiculous joke! I think you should take a picture with everyone who mourned your supposed death. I don’t know you personally and I hope I never will.’

Another of his friends told Otempo: “I’ve known him since 2001. I thought the story was horrible. One day I was sad and the next day very upset. For me he died on the 17th [the day the fake death was announced]when I discovered everything. It tasted very bad.’