Shay Bradley loved laughter. In the end, he made sure to get the last laugh. Or rather, he made sure that he gave one last laugh. Friends and family mourning the loss of Bradley at his funeral were treated to one final joke; a recording of Bradley yelling out in protest while his coffin was being lowered into the ground. “Let me out, it’s … dark in here!”

In a now viral video of the event, mourners encircling the gravesite first stand still, in complete shock. Then, eventually, laughter fills the air as people realize what they’re hearing. The recording closes with Bradley singing “I Just Called to Say Goodbye.”

When Bradley got the news of his terminal illness a year prior, he made secret arrangements with his children to make and play the recording as his last dying wish. Two days before the funeral, they alerted their mother and other immediately family, so they wouldn’t be too shocked.

Bradley’s daughter Andrea posted the video to Facebook, along with a few thoughts in tribute. “To make us laugh when we were all incredibly sad … what a man.”

Editor’s Note: The video contains profanity making it inappropriate to view during a service.

Potential Preaching Angles: All of us have gifts that God can use to bless others, even in death. As laughing aids us in our grief, as believers in Jesus was can grieve with hope because we believe that death is not the final word.

Source: Theresa Braine, “Dead man pranks funeral-goers by screaming from coffin in pre-recorded message as he’s lowered into the ground” New York Daily News (10-15-19)