Mysterious obituary of cancer patient at Philly hospital goes viral

The obituary of a Wilmington man has gone viral for its imaginary tale of him leaving a Philadelphia hospital in the middle of cancer treatment, jumping into a plane, and mysteriously disappearing over the Atlantic Ocean.

Rick Stein's daughter, Alex Walsh, wrote the humorous, fictional obituary, which she said reflected her father's great humor, according to The Delaware News Journal. It includes a handful of Seinfeld references.

"The sea was angry that day," an investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board is quoted as saying, echoing the famous line from Seinfeld character George Costanza from when he entered the ocean to save a whale. "We have no idea where Mr. Stein may be, but any hope for a rescue is unlikely."

The obituary goes on to explain Stein's imaginary escape from Philadelphia:

In reality, Stein had recently been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, the News Journal said. The end of the obituary discloses Stein's true final moments, saying, "another story is that Rick never left the hospital and died peacefully with his wife and his daughter holding tightly to his hands."

"You can choose which version you want to believe," it added.