Piano Man's identity unveiled
2005-08-22 14:44
Berlin - A mysterious pianist found wandering on an English beach four months ago, triggering a global hunt for clues as to his identity, is a 20-year-old German, the German foreign ministry said on Monday.
A spokesperson said the man, who did not break his silence for months but was dubbed "Piano Man" after playing on a grand piano, is from the southern state of Bavaria and returned home on Saturday.
The ministry refused to provide further details, but in England the Daily Mirror tabloid reported that he had finally told doctors he was a homosexual who had been trying to commit suicide when he was found.
Health authorities mum on tabloid article
A spokesperson for health authorities in southern England declined to comment on the article, but confirmed the patient "has been discharged from our care following a marked improvement in his condition".
The slim, pale-faced man sparked intrigue when he was found on April 7 on the south coast of England, soaking wet but dressed in a black suit, with no clue as to his origin.
He refused to speak or respond to written appeals while under observation at a hospital, but fascinated social workers, the media and general public after drawing a grand piano when given a pencil and paper.
Health officials also said, when shown a piano at the hospital chapel, he impressed his carers with a remarkable virtuoso performance.
But the Daily Mirror cast doubt on his musical talents as well as apparently ending the mystery of the man's identity.
Piano Man stuns hospital staff
It quoted an insider at the Little Brook Hospital in Dartford, southeast England, as claiming: "A nurse went into his room last Friday and said 'Are you going to speak to us today?' He simply answered 'Yes, I think I will.'
"We were stunned. He has been with us for months and we have got nowhere with him. We thought he was going to be with us for ever."
The tabloid claimed that the man could only "tap one key continuously" when sitting at the piano, citing the hospital insider as saying: "He said he drew a picture of a piano because that was the first thing that came to his head."
It said the man used to work with mentally ill patients, but lost a job in Paris and had travelled to Britain to kill himself when he was spotted.
"He was obviously in a distressed state and didn't talk to police. Then it just went on from there," the hospital insider said.
The hunt for Piano Man's identity stretched across the world, throwing up false leads in countries such as the Czech Republic and Norway.