Grandad, 87, goes viral after marrying dead ex-wife’s best friend

An 87-year-old man has gone viral after a video from his third wedding was viewed by millions who were taken by his choice in new wife.

An elderly grandfather is social media’s hottest new groom after a video of him tying the knot with his dead ex-wife’s best friend in an over-the-top wedding celebration went viral.

The 87-year-old’s lavish big day came complete with a decked-out bridal party and a garter toss – with the bride donning a white gown complete with veil.

The couple’s nuptials have become a viral sensation after the unnamed groom’s granddaughter, Sophia Angeletakis, shared a video on TikTok.

“Third time is a charm at 87, I guess,” the 22-year-old caption the clip which has had more than 6.6 million views since it was shared on Monday, New York Post reports.

In the video, the bride can be seen being escorted down the aisle by a woman with a cane before being greeted by her new husband. She then has to take a seat during the ceremony before the couple are officially married.

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An 87-year-old has married his dead ex-wife's best friend two years after her death. Picture: TikTok/angeleatingtakis

Her bridesmaids, donning rust-coloured dresses and clutching bouquets, watch on with glee as the couple become husband and wife.

The senior sweethearts are later seen dancing cheek-to-cheek at their wedding reception.

Sophie wrote over the top of the short clip: “POV: Your grandpa marries his ex-wife’s best friend.”

In the comments, she explained her grandfather’s ex-wife died of cancer two years ago.

The touching video quickly blew up, with many commenting on how “adorable” the elderly couple were – however Sophie appeared solemn-faced at the display in her clip.

And in a follow-up post – which she captioned, “I wish I could have bleached my eyeballs after he took the garter off” – she shows her grandpa, leaning on a walking stick, tossing his new wife’s lingerie over his shoulder towards a small group of his friends.

While you could be forgiven for thinking marrying your former partner’s best mate is uncommon, the comments section of Sophie’s video was filled with audience members confessing their grandparents also hooked up with their significant others’ friends and family members after they passed away.

“My grandpa married my grandma’s sister after she died,” revealed a commenter.

“My dad married his dead brother’s wife,” another wrote alongside laughing emojis. “She was literally Aunt Kathy my whole life … now she’s Auntie Mamma and [my cousins] call my dad, Dunkle.”

“My great-grand[father] married his daughter-in-law,” said another. “He walked her down the aisle in her first marriage. He now jokes that he took her back.”

Their wedding video went viral after it was shared by his granddaughter Sophie. Picture: TikTok/angeleatingtakis

Other cyber spectators were simply shocked by the fact that the elderly lovebirds opted for very traditional nuptials.

“A full-blown wedding with bridal party? I will never get over this,” laughed an onlooker.

“She really went for it with the white dress,” said another.

And when it came to the garter toss, tickled watchers left comments like, “[Whose] idea was it to include this part in the wedding,” and, “This like an episode from The Office.”

But many we’re just happy that the aged flames found love again.

“As long as he’s happy and content with his new wife, nothing else matters,” a supporter of the couple wrote.

“Well congratulations to the newlyweds! Let them live! They ain’t getting younger,” said another.

This article originally appeared on New York Post and was reproduced with permission