The man wanted a helicopter to shower money from the sky over his funeral.
- A man in Detroit arranged for a helicopter to drop money at his funeral
- Darrell Plant Thomas was 58 and known for his lifelong generosity in his community
- His sons organised the event, showering around $5,000 in cash and rose petals
A US man, known for his lifelong generosity throughout Detroit's Eastside, had one last wish - to give back to his community in an unforgettable way. He wanted a helicopter to shower money from the sky over his funeral.
This was 58-year-old Darrell "Plant" Thomas' final gift to his people. On the day of his funeral, his sons - Darell and Jonte - organised a chopper to drop cash and rose petals.
A video showing thousands of dollars and rose petals dropping from a helicopter onto pedestrians over Gratiot Avenue, near Conner Street, has surfaced online. Approximately $5,000 (Rs 4,27,700) in cash was showered on June 27, around 1 pm.
"This was a final expression of love from him to the community because he was a giver. Yesterday was simply a farewell tribute to an Eastside legend," his niece said.
The video quickly went viral on social media.
One user commented, "The man took 'make it rain' literally."
Another wrote, "What a way to give back to the community. I hope that the people knew who he was."
"That's so touching. Even in his last moments, he wanted to help people around him. Stories like this remind you what real kindness looks like," wrote the next.
Anaya Toney, who works at a nearby restaurant, saw the dollars falling from the sky just before starting her shift. She said there were a lot of people on the street and called the scene "kind of crazy." She witnessed that all six lanes of traffic came to a halt as people exited their vehicles to run towards the falling dollars.
Lisa Knife, an employee at Airport Express Lube & Service, told PEOPLE that a section of the road was closed for half an hour.
Although the rose petals had been reported to the police, they were unaware that money would also be dropped. Detroit police have announced they would not be charging anyone; however, the US Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.
