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AAP
Laine Clark

A sad day for democracy ... and succulent Chinese meals

Jack Karlson, the man behind the Succulent Chinese meal meme, has died at the age of 82. (HANDOUT/SEVEN NEWS)

Eating a meal - a succulent Chinese meal - may never be the same again.

The man behind one of Australia's most famous viral memes - Jack Karlson - has died aged 82.

The colourful Australian will not be forgotten soon thanks to a case of mistaken identity.

A TV news crew filmed Mr Karlson's arrest at a Brisbane restaurant in 1991.

Police led a reluctant Mr Karlson out of Fortitude Valley's China Sea Restaurant, prompting a now-famous outburst.

"Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest," he tells the Seven News crew.

"Have a look at the headlock here ... get your hand off my penis!"

Mr Karlson continues to struggle - and cause a scene - as officers try valiantly to load him into a police vehicle, leading to his now immortal line.

"What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?

"Oh, that's a nice headlock, sir. Ah yes, I see that you know your judo well."

He continues to play up for the camera as he appears to be picked up and carried into the police vehicle's back seat.

"Ta ta and farewell," an almost horizontal Mr Karlson says.

At the time police were hunting one of Queensland's most wanted men.

They swooped on the Chinese restaurant after a tip-off that claimed their target was using a stolen credit card to pay for his - no doubt succulent - meal.

Mr Karlson was nabbed, but police got the wrong man.

Instead, Seven News recorded some classic footage that took on a life of its own years later.

Vision of the arrest was uploaded to YouTube in 2009 and went viral.

It became the subject of countless memes, a book and even merchandise.

Mr Karlson battled many health conditions over the years before succumbing to systemic inflammatory response syndrome, his family said.

Not surprisingly, he went out in style.

"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," his niece Kim Edwards told SBS in a statement.

"As a final send-off we gave Uncle a last taste of red wine through his drip just before it was removed."

The family had only recently set up a GoFundMe fundraiser after Mr Karlson was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

"Hoping people can dig deep - I think he's worth at least a beer, maybe even a 6-pack," his niece posted.

Mr Karlson earned legendary status but it seemed his life could not be summed up by a meme.

Mark Dapin, who wrote a novel about him, believed he should be remembered as an entertainer.

He said Mr Karlson used several aliases during his life but was born Cecil George Edwards.

Mr Karlson had a criminal record and reportedly escaped from custody three times.

He was also an occasional painter and part-time actor, even providing a cameo in a music video cameo for punk band The Chats.

A documentary about Mr Karlson's life is set to be released in March 2025.

There are no prizes for guessing its title: The Man Who Ate A Succulent Chinese Meal.

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