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By Alice Gibbs
Senior Reporter
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A heartfelt moment captured at the Titanic Museum in Tennessee has taken the internet by storm, amassing over 9 million views on TikTok alone.
The video captured the moment musician Edwin Rivera sat down at a replica piano in the museum and started playing "The Portrait" from the iconic movie Titanic.
The clip was shared by Staci McClure on TikTok, a friend of Rivera and his new wife. The couple, from Jacksonville, Florida, were celebrating their honeymoon after getting married on March 16, 2025. According to McClure, the moment was entirely spontaneous.
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"The video was initially supposed to be Edwin's raw reaction to touching the replica piano," McClure told Newsweek. "When he pressed the keys and it was tuned, he spontaneously decided to play. And what else to play other than The Portrait from Titanic?"
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In the museum, in Pigeon Forge, people nearby cheered Rivera on as he played, delighted by the impromptu performance.
Over 400 personal and private artifacts from the Titanic are on display, and the grand piano in the museum's music room is 118 years old. Often described as a "guest favorite," it is there so visitors can enjoy live music during their visit, and have the opportunity to play themselves if they wish.
This isn't the first time a museum performance has delighted viewers, previous videos have featured a 10-year-old tourist showing off his piano skills, and blind pianist and Josh McInnish, a musician, composer and music producer.
The moment was never meant to be posted publicly, but the reaction it received in the museum—complete with applause—led Rivera and his wife to share it with McClure, who uploaded it to TikTok in hopes of getting Rivera some recognition for his musical talent. Within 48 hours, the video had skyrocketed.
Viewers shared their reactions in the comments, TikToker Graig said: "113 years later and that piano sounds amazing."
Brittbrittfuns, wrote: "I would cry if I heard this in the Titanic Museum."
"The fact he remembered that song from memory without the sheet music is pretty damn cool," wrote TikToker Andrew.
The couple were delighted that the video was so well received online. "After it all happened and he got a round of applause, they sent me the video and asked me to post it to my TikTok because I had about 4,000 followers and it would maybe help him be seen and get some gigs booked," McClure said. "Little did we know that 48 hours later it would have nearly 8 million views.
"Going viral is quite surreal still, for all of us. But we are very excited to see where it goes."
The Portrait, composed by James Horner, featured on the soundtrack of the Blockbuster film Titanic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, retelling the 1912 maritime disaster.
Released in the USA in 1998, the movie remains one of the only three to win a whopping 11 Academy Awards, including Best Original Score, Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing.
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