Grieving Family 'Couldn't Hold Their Laughter' After Daughter's Mishap at Her Father's Funeral (Exclusive)
- - Grieving Family 'Couldn't Hold Their Laughter' After Daughter's Mishap at Her Father's Funeral (Exclusive)
Kayla GrantJanuary 13, 2026 at 11:08 PM
0
Courtesy of the Gilinsky family
The Gilinsky family's dad's funeral -
One small mishap brought laughter to an otherwise sad and heavy day for one family
Arielle Gilinsky recalls sitting with her family after viewing her father's body to go over a few final details when she suddenly heard something unexpected
She tells PEOPLE that she found the mishap "funny," adding that it "lightened the mood" for her and several family members
One small mishap brought laughter to an otherwise sad and heavy day for the Gilinsky family.
Arielle Gilinsky tells PEOPLE she recalls sitting in the back of the temple after viewing her father's body with her immediate family ahead of his funeral. She says the grieving family was going over a few final details before the funeral, which took place on Nov. 5, when suddenly she heard Alice Deejay's "Better Off Alone" playing loudly in the background.
"I realized that the playlist that I made for the after-party was playing to welcome everyone into the synagogue," she says. "My family was crying, and then my aunt turned to me and said, 'Oh my gosh, your dad loved this song.'"
While it wasn't intentional, the music selection ended up being very fitting for her dad as Arielle describes him as a "big time party animal."
"He ran nightclubs in the early '90s, and he was always the life of the party. My dad raised me on club bangers, and we bonded over our love for club music and having fun," she tells PEOPLE. "My dad was like the 'cool mom' from the movie Mean Girls. He wouldn’t have wanted a stuffy funeral despite our family wanting it to be traditional."
Courtesy of the Gilinsky family
The Gilinsky family
Reflecting on the moment, Arielle says that she found the music mishap "funny," adding that it "lightened the mood" for her and several family members.
"My grandma (my dad’s mom) even had a positive response," she tells PEOPLE. "I think she, like many others, had the thought [that] he made this happen. But in reality, it was the first song on the playlist that I thought was being played after the service."
In a video, which has now gone viral on TikTok, Arielle, her friends, and her partner can be seen laughing during the moment as the techno song blares in the background. Arielle says that they all "couldn't hold their laughter" during the moment, picturing exactly how her dad would react to the song.
"They knew that was my dad's favorite song and they know if he wasn’t in the coffin he’d be cracking up and dancing (terribly)," she says.
Courtesy of the Gilinsky family
The Gilinsky family
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Arielle says the moment felt "very cathartic" for her and everyone present, as they honored her dad's memory.
"At the time of my dad’s death, he and I hadn’t talked for a few years, but it felt very cathartic for everyone to have that moment of levity," she says. "The whole funeral was filled with tears and laughter."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
