Mystery deepens over ‘Piano Man’

The investigation into the identity of the ‘Piano Man’ is continuing today.

The National Missing Persons Helpline confirmed that they have received hundreds of calls and e-mails offering suggestions of who the mysterious man might be, but the identity of the man remains unknown.

The appeal has received calls and e-mails from people across the globe, including people from America, Canada, Sweden and Holland. The nationality of the Piano Man is also still unknown, although he also drew a Swedish flag for hospital staff when he was first found. It was reported that interpreters from Poland, Latvia and Lithuania had been brought in to try and communicate with the man, but were unsuccessful.

The mystery deepened yesterday when it was revealed that all the labels had been removed from the Piano Man’s clothes.

The man was found last month, wandering along the beach at Sheerness in Kent, dressed in a soaking wet suit. When he was taken to hospital, he drew a detailed picture of a grand piano and when staff took him to the piano in the hospital chapel, he stunned them by giving a two-hour performance of classical music.

The man is being cared for at a psychiatric unit in Kent, where he has continued to play the piano, reportedly losing himself in the music. However, he has not spoken since he was found and he is still described as being “very anxious” when he is not playing music.

Social workers reportedly are working on a list of around 300 names, hoping that one of them could be the Piano Man. Hopes were raised yesterday when a Polish mime artist came forward claiming that the man was a French street musician whom he had worked with in Nice. However, the man, who was named as Steven Villa Massone, was reportedly seen by his sister in Nice this week.

The case has been widely compared to that of acclaimed pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a nervous breakdown – his story was dramatised in the 1996 movie ‘Shine’.

The man is described as tall and thin, with short brown hair and appears to be in his twenties and thirties. He is described as physically fit and does not appear to suffer from any other health problems.

The National Missing Persons Helpline have appealed for anyone with any information regarding the ‘Piano Man’ to contact them on: 0500 700 700. A photo of the man is available on the National Missing Persons Helpine web-site at: www.nmph.underwired.com/unidentified_persons

(KMcA/SP)