Fans Of DJ Arafat ‘Open Coffin’ To Be Sure He’s Dead

The burial of late musician DJ Arafat took a somewhat bizarre turn when fans appear to have opened his coffin as mayhem broke out in the Ivory Coast city of Abidjan Saturday.

The 33-year-old DJ, whose real name was Ange Didier Huon, died in a motorcycle accident in August.

Video on social media appear to show fans opening his coffin and undressing the late musician body to check for tattoos and identify him.

The chaotic scenes came hours after thousands gathered to pay tribute at a large concert held overnight in his honour before the musician was laid to rest on Saturday.

Police resorted to using tear gas to try disperse those who had gathered at a private family ceremony being held locally.

“We wanted to see the body of our idol before the tomb was sealed,” one unnamed fan told AFP news agency

An overnight concert was held in his honour

DJ Arafat was one of the most popular African musicians in the Francophone world, and had been referred to as the “king” of coupé-décalé (cut and run), an Ivorian form of dance music.

He came to symbolise the flashy, well-dressed lifestyle associated with the music, which features fast percussion, deep bass and hip hop-style vocals.

Many fans were left heartbroken by his rather sudden death.