Grieving grandad starts dancing at his grandson’s funeral and it hid a beautifully tragic message

A funeral is usually a somber event where loved ones of the deceased come to pay their respects. However, no one would associate dancing with such an event. But that’s exactly what an Italian man did during his grandson’s funeral. It may strike as disrespectful at first, but once people get to know the kind of relationship they shared, they will realize that there could not have been a more respectful and loving gesture to send someone off to their heavenly abode. Gino Gentilin, 66, and his grandson, Kevin Gentilin, 15, had a special relationship, as reported by the New York Post. They didn’t share a grandfather-grandson relationship. Instead, they were like friends. They connected with their love for pop music, techno music and dancing. So when it was time to say goodbye to Kevin for the final time, his grandfather danced his heart out.

Kevin lost his life in a car accident. He was driving to school in his vintage Vespa scooter during a period of rush and a car hit him in Castelfranco Veneto, Italy, on October 25, 2024. He was only 15. It was one thing to lose an elderly member of a family, but it was a completely different thing to lose a young member of your family. Such a loss hits much harder. “In those moments, I felt Kevin’s presence among us, and I felt that he wanted me to dance with him so that we could have fun together once again,” Gino said. “I turned directly to him, I shouted, ‘Fly Kevin, now you are free! He and I were two kindred spirits. He came to visit me every evening. We talked about everything.”

The 66-year-old grandfather delivered an energetic and enigmatic performance as those gathered around him clapped to his moves, as reported by Antenna Tre. Gino was respectful enough to ask Kevin’s parents if he could pay a dance tribute beforehand and they both graciously accepted the offer. And he did not disappoint. He jumped and clapped his hands in front of the flower-laden white coffin and by the end of it all, he was out of breath. But that didn’t bother him at all. “I was exhausted, but at the same time, I felt light,” he said. The dance was done so that Gino could give his grandson a proper funeral. He did not expect to become an internet sensation after a few days.

A video was taken by one of the attendees, which had gone viral. People from around the world showered Gino with love for such an incredible gesture towards someone he dearly loved. Funerals can often have a gloomy atmosphere but that doesn’t mean that people can’t say their final goodbye to a loved one without a little energy. “What I didn’t know is that they would film the scene with their cell phones and that the video would end up on social media and in the newspapers,” Gino said when informed about how the internet has been reacting to his funeral dance. “I apologize if I have offended anyone’s sensibilities, but believe me that dance, a declaration of love to my grandson, saved me.”