On April 1, Lawyer and PR rep J. Peter Segall took out an ‘in memoriam’ ad in the Washington Post for long-time friend, former ambassador to Morocco and still very much alive man, Edward M. Gabriel.
It was the April Fools equivalent of skydiving - a dangerous stunt with little payoff which only becomes a horrifying joke when the gigantic accidents that could happen do happen.
And, in that, this became hilarious.
The prank cost Segal a little more than $300 for the ad space. It cost Gabriel a day of fielding calls from saddened friends who thought he had died. One woman had spent two hours crying.
The comedian purchased a retraction to his April Fools day joke for the April 2 edition of the Post. It should do wonders for his PR buisness. J Peter Segall: because telling people that a loved one is dead is almost as funny as killing him.
