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"Fan Man" kills himself


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Well, at least interruptions in major sporting events will decline. :D

Deported Palace paraglider kills himself in Alaska

By Caroline Davies

An American paraglider pilot deported from Britain after landing on the roof of Buckingham Palace, has committed suicide in the Alaskan wilderness.

The body of James Miller, who found notoriety as the "Fan Man", flying a parachute with a fan-like engine and propeller strapped to his back, was found by bear hunters six months after he went missing from his home in Alaska.

He was well-known for flying into televised sports events, including a Las Vegas heavyweight championship fight and an FA cup match between Bolton and Arsenal.

Mr Miller, 39, whose girlfriend is expecting his child, had been suffering from severe and debilitating arterial disease which caused him great pain, said his family, and had run up huge debts from medical bills.

He had been banned from Britain for life after his stunt in 1994, during which he circled the Palace three times before landing. Before police could arrest him he removed his trousers to display the lower part of his body, which was painted green. He said his stunts were a personal protest against violence.

He went missing in September and chose a spot where he was not likely to be found. He then attached a nylon strap to a tree and to his neck and died from asphyxiation.

His brother, Eric, said that Mr Miller was a private, complex man, who loved flying and teaching others to. Until his illness, he was regularly seen flying his paraglider near his home in Valdez.

Boxing fans knew him as the man who flew into the outdoor heavweight fight between Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe in 1993, and was beaten unconscious by Bowe's entourage.

"It was a heavyweight fight, and I was the only guy who got knocked out," he said later.

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