Edinburgh street artist ‘may have died three weeks ago’

Edinburgh Festival News: As the ever-popular Edinburgh Festival season draws to a close, and thousands of performers return home to reflect on the success or otherwise of their acts, there’s been a note of sadness this year with the discovery that popular ‘human statue’ artist Ozzy Manjus died during his performance.

Indeed, he may have been dead for most of the festival.

“I saw him every morning,” Postman Spike Macleish told us.

“He’s been performing on the Royal Mile for years, regular as clockwork. You can’t underestimate the dedication and self-discipline of these guys. I thought it was odd he got started so early – I go past him at 6 in the morning – but who am I to question the artistic process? Rest in peace, man.”

It’s believed that the strength of the metallic paint covering Manjus and his clothes, combined with the summer heat, was enough to effectively ‘seal’ his pose. Many thousands of residents and tourists will have passed by, taking photos and posing with him, totally unaware of his condition.

Only when the preservative effect of the paint started to wear off, and the smell of decomposition became obvious, did people begin to suspect the artist was not well.

Coroners are unsure whether Mr Manjus died from starvation, dehydration, or boredom.

“It’s even possible he suffocated,” Dr Paloma of Faith Hospital in the city told reporters, “like the chick in Goldfinger. We can’t rule that out.”

City officials confirmed today that a plaque in his honour is to be placed at the spot where he passed away: ‘In Loving Memory of Street Artist Ozzy Manjus 1964-2011. He died as he lived: pretending to be asleep.’