Grandpa attends funeral for his 15-year-old grandson, then bursts into dance
The family cheered him on as he paid lovely moving tribute to his grandchild.
Left: mourners with lilies; Right: elderly man dancing at a gathering.
Trigger Warning: This article contains themes of death and grief that some readers may find distressing.
The last thing you might expect at something as somber as a a funeral is for someone to break into dancing moments before bidding their final goodbye. However, 66-year-old Gino Gentilin was sure to display the best of his moves at his 15-year-old grandson’s funeral, per The Daily Guardian.
A clip shared by the New York Post on Instagram captures the grandpa dancing with all the energy he possibly had in front of all loved ones and others present. The 15-year-old Kevin passed away tragically while riding his vintage bike to school when a car crashed into his bike.
“I got there a few minutes after the accident, he was lying on the ground and I sat down next to him. We stayed like that for at least half an hour. He was already dead and I remember that, while I was caressing him, I kept wondering why we couldn’t switch bodies,” the bereaved grandpa recalled. While they couldn’t do anything to bring the boy back to life, Gentilin ensured that he fared his grandson goodbye in the best way possible. Seeking permission from Kevin’s parents, the grandpa broke into an energetic dance before Kevin’s coffin. “The speaker started pumping out music, first the 883, then the Brothers and finally a remix by DJ Matrix,” the grandpa recalled.
Explaining the reason behind this unusual tribute, Gentilin mentioned that he felt connected with his grandson through dance. The grandpa shared that he felt Kevin would have wanted to see him put out his best for his grandson. He spared no effort in busting moves in honor of his little boy. Towards the end of the tribute, he exclaimed, “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. Gentilin was deeply connected with Kevin and even after his passing, he ensured he remained bonded with him the same way through memories and in spirit.
Remembering the time he used to dance with Kevin, Gentilin was happy to share all his docs moments with his grandson. “Every occasion was good for asking me to go with him and his friends to the disco. And under the DJ console, more than grandfather and grandson, we seemed like two accomplices who had a lot of fun dancing together,” he said. Dancing was like their most comfortable love language and the grandpa was sure to render it one last time at Kevin’s funeral. No one can truly put a mark on how heartbroken the grandpa must have been. However, he felt that dancing there for his grandson made him feel light.
No matter how bizarre it may seem to a layman the gesture was his way of personally bonding with Kevin one last time. “In my case, it was that dance that saved me. When I finished dancing in front of my grandson’s coffin, I heard his voice in my head. He said to me: ‘Thank you, Grandpa.’ And suddenly I felt empty, as if a lot of that suffering that I carried inside me had come out.” Gentilin remarked that the dance “saved” him.
When you really think about it, Gellin's tirubte isn't all that peculiar. Across the world—from Tibetan sky burials to New Orleans jazz funeral parades—grief rituals look very different from one culture to another, and many families honor their loved ones through movement, music, and gestures that reflect the spirit of the person they lost. Mourning rituals are opportunities for families to honor the personality of the one who passed, and Gentilin’s choice fits within that wide spectrum of meaningful expressions.
Grief counselors even specifically note that movement and music can help regulate the nervous system during moments of shock or trauma. When emotions feel too heavy for words, physical expression can offer a way to release tension and process what the mind can’t yet articulate. Gentilin’s dance was simply a natural response to overwhelming grief. A healthy one at that.
Bottom line: Grief looks different for everyone, and there is no right or wrong way to honor someone you love. Whether it’s dancing, sharing stories, lighting a candle, or simply sitting together in silence, small acts of connection can become part of the healing process. What matters most is finding a gesture that feels true to the relationship and offers even a moment of comfort in the midst of loss.
This article originally appeared 2 months ago. It has been updated.