Who was Jack Karlson and what is the succulent Chinese meal meme? Cultural icon aka Mr Democracy Manifest dies aged 82 

Jack Karlson, who went viral for his “succulent Chinese meal” meme, has died at the age of 82. His family confirmed in a statement that he was battling many health conditions at the time of his passing, including systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Many are now mourning the loss of the cultural icon, who was initially arrested in 1991.

The Karlson family shared that he died while surrounded by his family at 6:31 p.m. on Wednesday, August 7, 2024. They also said:

“He walked a full and colourful path and, despite the troubles thrown at him, he lived by his motto- to keep on laughing.”

As per reports, his niece Kim Edwards shared that her uncle spent the last few weeks of his life in prison, where he “had a few attempts to escape and pulled his cords out a couple of times and asked us many times to sneak in his pipe.”

She also shared that the Australian legend had his “last taste of red wine through his drop just before it was removed.”

For those uninitiated, Jack Karlson was a serial prison escaper and a small-time crook who went viral on the internet in 2009 after a video of him getting arrested at a Chinese restaurant in Brisbane in 1991 was uploaded to the internet. In the viral video, Karlson was heard saying:

“What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?”

Karlson was seen surrounded by a string of police officers who grabbed him and attempted to push him inside a police vehicle.

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More about Jack Karlson as viral Australian figure passes away at 82

Jack Karlson has amassed millions of views online since his 1991 footage made it to the internet. In the viral video, he was heard saying:

“Gentleman, this is democracy manifest… Have a look at the headlock here. See that chap over there? Get your hand off my p*nis! Get your hand off my p*nis! This is the bloke who got me on the p*nis before. Why did you do this to me? For what reason?"

Karlson has maintained that he was not the man the police were on the hunt for at the time of his arrest.

“It was a case of mistaken identity, they thought I was some international gangster,” he said at the time.

He revealed to ABC’s Earshot in the past that he escaped from Boggo Road Gaol in 1996 by jumping off of a train while he was on his way to court after he was charged with breaking, entering, and stealing.

Karlson had also shared that he once escaped a court cell by impersonating a detective after he was arrested for stealing a car in Parramatta.

A GoFundMe page was previously set up for Jack Karlson as he battled prostate cancer in June. Following his passing, his wife stated that the money collected would go for his funeral. Ms Edwards wrote on the page:

“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 made much money but has always been generous to family and friends.”

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A documentary about Jack Karlson, The Man who Ate a Succulent Chinese Meal, directed by Heath Davis, is set to release in 2025.