A new video has circulated online—purportedly showing the body of late Chicago rapper King Von at his funeral—and nearly everyone who’s seen it says it changes everything. For some, it’s a heartbreaking moment of grief and loss; for many others, it raises uncomfortable questions about respect, privacy, and how quickly a musician’s legacy can be twisted by what people choose to release. The clip, first shared on an anonymous Instagram account on December 12, 2025, has exploded to over 10 million views in 24 hours, sparking a firestorm of reactions that range from tearful tributes to outright outrage. As fans dissect every frame, the footage—whether authentic or not—has reopened wounds from Von’s death five years ago, forcing a reckoning with how we memorialize our icons in the age of viral voyeurism.
King Von (Dayvon Daquan Bennett), the 26-year-old drill phenom gunned down outside Atlanta’s Monaco Hookah Lounge on November 6, 2020, amid a feud with Quando Rondo’s crew, was laid to rest in a star-studded ceremony at Chicago’s A.A. Rayner Funeral Home on November 14, 2020. Attended by Lil Durk, G Herbo, and over 1,000 mourners, the service featured a horse-drawn carriage procession through O’Block and performances of Von’s hits like “Took Her to the O.” The open-casket viewing, with Von dressed in a white suit and O’Block chain, was meant as a final farewell—a celebration of the storyteller who rose from Englewood’s streets to chart-topping fame with Welcome to O’Block (2020). But the leaked video, grainy and 45 seconds long, captures an unauthorized moment from inside the home: Von lying in repose, surrounded by white lilies, as a small group of family whispers prayers. The camera pans slowly, lingering on his face in a way that feels invasive, almost pornographic in its intimacy.
The clip’s origin is murky—an anonymous upload titled “Von Final Rest”—but its spread has been relentless, amplified by TikTok duets and X threads dissecting “what it means.” Fans are divided: some see it as “beautiful closure,” a final image of Von “at peace” (@OBlockForever, 50k likes), while others decry it as “disrespectful exploitation,” likening it to the 2020 George Floyd video’s unintended trauma (@HipHopEthics, 80k retweets). Von’s mother, Taeshaun Butler, who organized the funeral, has not commented, but insiders say she’s “devastated” by the breach. Durk, Von’s mentor, posted a black square: “Let my brother RIP—stop the circus.”
The leak taps into hip-hop’s fraught relationship with death and documentation. From Tupac’s 1996 autopsy photos to XXXTentacion’s 2018 crime scene images, fans crave “closure” but often at the cost of dignity. Von’s case, ruled self-defense against Lul Timm (no charges filed), has fueled conspiracy theories; this footage, if real, adds fuel without resolution. APD has not authenticated it, stating: “We don’t comment on unverified videos from closed cases.”
As the clip hits 15 million views, one truth emerges: Von’s legacy—raw storytelling from Chicago’s trenches—deserves reverence, not regurgitation. The “final image” isn’t peace; it’s a reminder to let legends rest. Fans, honor him with music, not morbid memes. The core shakes, but Von’s voice endures.
