Videos of rapper Goonew's body being displayed in a club at his own funeral event are trending online.
Warning: Distressing content
An event, "The Last Show," was held in celebration of the life of Goonew, whose real name was Markelle Morrow, at Bliss Nightclub in Washington, D.C. Sunday night. Videos from the event quickly started going viral on social media. They appeared to show his corpse standing upright onstage, reported XXL.
The rapper, 24, was shot and killed on March 18, and his apparent body at the event could be seen wearing jeans, sneakers, hoodie and a crown on his head. It remains unconfirmed if it was a wax recreation or his actual body. Rapper Black Fortune, who performed at the event, posted on his Instagram Stories saying that no, this "ain't no wax figure my Brodie went out gansta."
According to TMZ, some of the attendees were dancing along to the music, while others were stone-faced and staring at the body. Many people, including fans of the late rapper, were upset with what happened. One tweeted that they’ve got "Goonew’s dead body propped up in the club for his funeral." The Twitter user said it was "the wildest f**king thing I’ve seen on the internet in a while, I don’t even know what to say."
Bliss Nightclub issued a statement in which they offered their "deepest condolences to Goonew’s family, friends, and fans." The club said that Bliss was contacted by a local funeral home to rent out their "venue for Goonew’s home-going celebration," and that Bliss was "never made aware of what would transpire." The club "sincerely" apologized to all those who "may be upset or offended." Whether the body was real or not is being investigated by the club.
Meanwhile, Goonew's family believes that he was the victim of an armed robbery, with his mother saying that the rapper gave up everything the suspect wanted, but he was still shot in the back. A $25,000 reward is being offered by Prince George's County Police Department for any information that would lead to an arrest or conviction.
According to Complex, the rapper had a lengthy discography, with "Certified Goon" (2017), 2018’s "Big 64 and Goonwick", "Back from Hell" (2019), and "Short Temper" (2021).
