Jack Karlson, the man behind the iconic “succulent Chinese meal” arrest, recently passed away on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, a week after celebrating his 82nd birthday, leaving his family and fans devastated.
According to news.com.au, his family confirmed that Jack Karlson was battling many health conditions, including Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS).
His family stated that Jack Karlson walked a full and colorful path. Despite the troubles thrown at him, he lived by his motto: keep on laughing. His niece, Kim Edwards, revealed that Karlson spent the last few weeks of his life in the hospital.
Kim added that Jack attempted to escape and pulled his cords a couple of times and asked them many times to sneak his pipe; she said, “He was battling many ailments but what got him in the end was SIRS.”
Furthermore, his family raised several funds in June for his prostate cancer treatments. In his last breath, his family gave him the last taste of red wine through his drip to fulfill his last wish.
Jack Karlson became an internet sensation after his succulent Chinese meal clip went viral
The Late Jack Karlson’s succulent Chinese meal clip became one of the most iconic videos of all time. It brought millions of people joy and inspired many memes and T-shirt ideas.
Succulent Chinese Meal, also known as Democracy Manifest, is an October 11, 1991 video by reporter Chris Reason at Seven News. It has been the pre-eminent Australian meme for the past ten years.
Similarly, the video brought Jack Karlson into prominence. In it, he says, “Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest! What is the charge, eating a succulent Chinese meal?” after being arrested by Australian police at a Chinese restaurant for supposedly stealing a credit card.
Jack’s identity remained a mystery until 2020 when he revealed himself as the man in the viral video 1991 in an interview with Sydney Morning Herald.
When asked about his actions in the viral video, Jack said that he appeared to be insane to be placed in an asylum instead of prison where he could escape easily.
Furthermore, in June 2022, Dean Biron, one of the arresting officers, wrote an article about the incident stating that Jake came out of the prison on bail after a day of his arrest because it was not a significant case.
Likewise, before his incident, Jack Karlson was serving behind bars for credit card fraud and used to escape from it frequently during his time in prison; he met Jim McNeil, an Australian award-winning playwright, when McNeil was serving 17 years of imprisonment for armed robbery.
Jack Karlson encouraged Jim McNeil to write plays about his prison experience, which became famous throughout Australia. They remained friends until McNeil’s demise in 1982.
Additional Information
- Jack Karlson was born Cecil George Edwards in 1942. His daughter Heidi, son Erik, nieces Kim, Kelly, Kerry, nephew Karl Edwards, and grandchildren Terri-Lace and Nec survived him. After his demise, people have been searching for more information about the viral man, but Jack’s Wikipedia page is not currently available.
- In 2023, true crime author Mark Dapin released a biography of Karlson, “Carnage: A Succulent Chinese Meal, Mr. Rent-a-kill, and the Australian Manson Murders.” Another documentary about Jack Karlson by director Heath Davis, “The Man who ate a Succulent Chinese Meal,” is set to release in 2025.
- Jack Karlson told ABC’s Earshot about his escape from Boggo Road Gaol in 1996. He had jumped off a train on his way to a court hearing for breaking, entering, and stealing. He also had an artistic career making paintings.
