Aaron Bushnell loved show tunes, ‘Lord of the Rings’ and left his cat and a fridge of root beer in his will: friends

US airman Aaron Bushnell loved show-tune karaoke and “The Lord of the Rings’’ — and gave away his cat and a fridge full of root beer before he fatally lit himself on fire over the Gaza war, pals say.

“I hope you’ll understand. I love you,” Bushnell, 25, texted a friend Sunday, according to the Washington Post — 12 minutes before setting himself ablaze in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, while screaming, “Free Palestine!”

“This doesn’t even make sense, but I feel like I’m going to miss you,” added the Massachusetts native, who grew up in a strict religious sect.

US Air Force member Aaron Bushnell (whose face is blurred by The Post) lights himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in DC on Sunday, live-streaming the horror. X/Talia Jane

Before he killed himself — streaming the horrific event live — Bushnell also sent a copy of his will to the pal.

The Air Force cyber defense specialist left his cat to a neighbor and his stock of root beer to the friend.

The unidentified friend said the pair had talked on the phone two weeks before about how they were both anarchists — and the need for sacrifice.

Bushnell did not mention anything violent at the time, the source said.

In fact, in January, the Air Force IT specialist appeared especially carefree at a going-away party for him in San Antonio, Texas, where he was leaving for an assignment in Ohio.

Pals took him out for karaoke, which he loved, along with the J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy series “Lord of the Rings.”

Bushnell was known to love karaoke, especially when it involved “Les Miserables” tunes. Facebook / Aaron Bushnell

Bushnell sang hits from the musical “Les Miserables,’’ of which he was a big fan and also Mandy Moore’s “Wind in My Hair’’ based on Disney movie “Tangled,’’ friends told the outlet.

“I got a smile on my face, and I’m walking on air!’’ Busnhell crooned.

But friends also described a young man who had grown increasingly disillusioned with the military and his country and its social ills, particularly after the cop-brutality death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020.

Bushnell — who gave a thumb’s up to two Ohio anarchy groups on his Facebook page — grew to take a stand against all state-sanctioned violence and even mulled leaving the military before his enlistment time ran out, said a pal, Levi Pierpont, who told the outlet he had lunch with him last month in Ohio.

Protesters of Israel’s war in Gaza gather in the West Bank on Tuesday and hold up photos of US airman Aaron Bushnell, who killed himself while objecting to the conflict. ALAA BADARNEH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Pierpont, 23, who met Bushnell in basic training, said his friend decided to tough it out in the Air Force because he was close to his end date of service in May and the course in Ohio would help him transition out of military service.

Another friend, Sam Osta, 55, who said he met Bushnell at a protest at the Lincoln Memorial in 2022, attended a memorial for his buddy outside the Israeli embassy Monday.

“I wish I would have known. I would have stopped him,’’ Osta said of Bushnell’s tragic end. “His life means a lot, and it’s horrifying what happened.”