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A man who called COVID-19 a 'political ploy' on Facebook died from the virus. His family canceled his funeral livestream after 'misguided anger' from strangers.

kmclaughlin@businessinsider.com (Kelly McLaughlin)

INSIDERApril 23, 2020, 10:15 AM CDT

Signs protesting Ohio's stay-at-home order hang near the Capitol in Columbus on Monday.

Seth Herald/Reuters

• John W. McDaniel, 60, died from COVID-19 on April 15.
• As early as March 13, McDaniel had criticized the panic surrounding the novel coronavirus. In a Facebook post that has since been deleted, he called COVID-19 a "political ploy."
• In another, according to NBC News, he said: "If you are paranoid about getting sick just don't go out. It shouldn't keep those of us from Living our Lives. The Madness has to stop."
• His wife, Lisa McDaniel, canceled a livestream of his funeral after reading criticism of her husband online.
• "This news has opened the flood gates for people to share their own misguided anger and unfounded assumptions about a man they don't know," she said.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

An Ohio man who called COVID-19 a "political ploy" on Facebook has died from the disease, and his family has faced so much outrage over his posts that they canceled a livestream of his funeral.
John W. McDaniel, 60, died on April 15 after contracting the coronavirus. As early as March 13, McDaniel had criticized stay-at-home orders and panic surrounding the novel coronavirus, according to NBC News and The Washington Post.

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The posts have since been deleted. But in one he reportedly called the virus a "political ploy," and in another he said: "If you are paranoid about getting sick just don't go out. It shouldn't keep those of us from Living our Lives. The Madness has to stop."
People spread the news about McDaniel's death online, sharing criticism of his posts on social media while linking to his obituary, first published in the Marion Star on April 16.
His wife, Lisa McDaniel, canceled a Facebook livestream of her husband's funeral, announcing the news in a letter shared on the funeral home's website on Wednesday.
"During this time of mourning, John's story, along with early assumptions that he stated on twitter and Facebook have turned into national news," she said. "This news has opened the flood gates for people to share their own misguided anger and unfounded assumptions about a man they don't know. Wanting to protect my family and John's legacy, we have decided not to live stream his funeral services via Facebook today."
John McDaniel's sister said in a Facebook post that her brother became sick in late March and was put on a ventilator at a hospital in Columbus.
Lisa McDaniel said in her letter that her husband was "not fully aware of the severity of COVID-19" when he made the posts criticizing reactions to the virus.
"Many have retracted their statements knowing now the effects of this pandemic," she said. "We know if John was still here with us he would acknowledge the national crisis we are in, abide by the stay-at-home order, and encourage family and friends to do the same."
She added that she and her family would "never be able to erase from our hearts and minds the negative posts that have been made and shared" about her husband.
As of Thursday, Ohio had had more than 13,700 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and more than 555 people had died from the virus.
Gov. Mike DeWine said earlier this week that he hoped to ease social-distancing measures in Ohio starting May 1. He said that the reopening would happen in stages and that businesses would have to follow safety guidelines.
"We cannot look at May 1 as a date when everything is back to normal," DeWine said, according to ABC 6. "Things cannot be back to normal unless we want to just throw caution to the wind and proceed carelessly and recklessly."