We now know more about the mystery man who has been showing up to strangers’ funerals across Metro Vancouver.
The story made headlines last week when multiple listeners called CKNW alleging a man had been crashing funerals for nearly a decade.
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The man, who said his name is Dean, admits to having attended other people’s funerals and says it’s all part of a book he’s writing.
“It’s part of a horror story of a book…which is going to be a very long project and it may not even happen,” Dean said.
According to Dean, he attends between three to four funerals a month where he pretends to know the deceased. He said he’s been doing it for years.
Dean denied allegations that he attended funerals just for the free food and drinks, although he admitted to eating and drinking at the funerals he attended.
When asked why he would eat and drink, he said, “Well, that puts me there, this is going to be worked into this theme.”
He also refuted rumours that he was hungry or lonely, adding he only attended funerals to do research for his book.
Dean said he chooses which funerals to attend by looking at obituaries.
He said he never felt like he was exploiting people’s grief.
Now that he has been exposed, he has promised to stop.
“I apologize,” said Dean.
“Listening to the people on the radio, they almost sound traumatized…I’m not going to do it again. If it’s resulting in traumatizing people then that’s not good.”