The man behind the iconic “democracy manifest” clip has died.
Jack Karlson has died at the age of 82 according to 7NEWS.
Mr. Karlson became famous among Australian households after footage of his 1991 arrest outside the China Sea Restaurant in Brisbane went viral.
Mr. Karlson was having lunch with a friend when he was arrested and escorted out of the Chinese restaurant, but his response has since been set in stone as an iconic Australian meme.
“Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest,” he said during the arrest.
“Have a look at the headlock here. See that chap over there?”
“Get your hand off my penis! Get your hand off my penis! This is the bloke who got me on the penis before.
“Why did you do this to me? For what reason? What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?”
Mr. Karlson maintained throughout his life that he wasn’t the man police were searching for.
A fundraiser had been set up for Mr. Karlson by his niece in June after he was reportedly diagnosed with prostate cancer and needed surgery for cataracts.
“I know Jack’s video has given a lot of people joy and he has inspired many memes, t-shirts and other things over the years but Jack himself is doing it quite tough,” his niece wrote on the fundraiser.”
“He has never had much money but has always been generous to family and friends. He lives week to week in regional QLD with the help of a voluntary carer.”
“Hoping people can dig deep – I think he’s worth at least a beer, maybe even a 6-pack.”
Last week his niece said Mr. Karlson wasn’t doing well in an update to the fundraiser.
“He has been in Hospital for two weeks now,” she wrote.
“He has had multiple procedures but things are not looking good.
“One thing that did lift his spirits was that the GoFundMe was taking off. He has been really appreciative of the donations and the comments.”
A documentary about Mr. Karlson, The Man who Ate a Succulent Chinese Meal, is set for release in 2025.
Outside of the famous arrest, Mr. Karlson was known for several prison escapes throughout his life.
Mr. Karlson told ABC’s Earshot how he had escaped from Boggo Road Gaol in 1996 by jumping off a train on the way to a court hearing for breaking, entering and stealing.
He added on a separate occasion he had walked out of his court cell and impersonated a detective after he was arrested in a stolen car in Parramatta.
