THE man behind the iconic “democracy manifest” meme has tragically died aged 82.
Jack Karlson became an Australian household name after footage of his 1991 arrest outside the China Sea Restaurant in Brisbane went viral on social media.
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During the arrest he said: “Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest.”
“Have a look at the headlock here. See that chap over there?”
“Why did you do this to me? For what reason? What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?”
The meme shows Karlson’s struggle with cops as they attempt to get him into the police car.
Karlson ends the iconic video, as he’s being lifted by cops into the car, saying “ta ta, and farewell.”
A fundraiser was set up for Karlson by his niece after he was reportedly diagnosed with prostate cancer and needed surgery for cataracts.
The GoFundMe read: “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.
“He has never had much money but has always been generous to family and friends. He lives week to week in regional [Queensland] 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.”
But last week, in a devastating update for the fundraiser, Karlson’s niece said the meme legend wasn’t doing well.
She wrote: “He has been in hospital for two weeks now.
“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.”
Something that meme fans may not have been aware of was that Karlson was known for several prison escapes in his lifetime.
He told ABC’s Earshot how he had escaped from H.M. Prison Brisbane, commonly known as Boggo Road Gaol, by jumping off a train on the way to a court hearing in 1996.
In another escape he walked out of his court cell and managed to impersonate a detective.
But Karlson maintained his innocence when it came to the viral arrest meme, claiming he was not the man police were looking for.
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