Parrot Man, Who Had Wanted to be an MP, Believed to Have Died Yesterday (16 Nov)

Even if you’re apolitical, you’d have heard of Zeng Guo Yuan aka Parrot Man.

The man shot to fame in 2011 after his unsuccessful attempts at the 2011 general elections and presidential election.

However, prior to that, he’d already been on the headlines for many other reasons: in fact, the man has been trying to be elected since 1991.

In 2008, he blamed his pet parrot for getting him arrested and charged for using abusive language at two police officers. That was also when he earned his nickname.

The man continued to in the limelight, from his surprise visit to the City Harvest trial that resulted in an argument to his persistent disorderly behaviour at Orchard Road that led to an arrest.

However, in recent years, most would remember him for his unconventional public behaviour and the gaping hole on his face due to cancer.

He had removed his nose due to nose cancer in 2014, and had been reportedly selling tissue paper for a living.

The man, however, is believed to have died yesterday (16 November 2019).

Found Dead on 16 November 2019 Night at Geylang Bahru

The 66-year-old man allegedly lived in a Geylang Babru HDB flat, which unfortunately caught fire in 2017 despite him claiming that he was “homeless”.

According to STOMP, it was believed that he had died at the foot of Blk 68 Geylang Bahru yesterday, and his neighbours had seen a death tent and stain on the ground.

The police hasn’t confirmed the identity of the deceased, though, saying, “A 66-year-old man was found lying motionless at the foot of the said block and was pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic.”

It has been classified as an unnatural death.

Claimed to Have Been a Rich Man

According to a Ricemedia article, the man led a completely different life long ago.

He said in an interview that he was once a philanthropist and businessman, and had earned so much money that he built a mosque in Bangladesh.

He also allegedly lived in a bungalow.

The man also claimed to have a net worth of over 10 million dollars back in the 90s, and owned a successful acupuncture business. He made his first foray into politics by joining the Workers’ Party in 1991 and ran for a seat in the Bukit Timah SMC in the 1991 General Elections, garnering 25% of votes.

In 1996, he stated that he had joined the 1991 GE just to gain publicity for his acupuncture business.

It’s unknown what led him to his downfall, but it’s believed that his life started spiraling downwards after a traffic collision in 2013.

He left behind a wife and two grown-up sons.

In any case, we hope he rests in peace.