Tom Leppard he was not an easy person to spot, despite being completely covered in tattoos and easily recognizable. He “leopard man“served for nearly three decades as militaryuntil one day he got tired, left everything and lived for 20 years isolated On an island in Scotland.
It may be that many years of attachment to the rules and leading a strict lifestyle had something to do with this momentous decision. However, the idea of to commute totally his Image It came up one day while I was window shopping in London.
Born in the town of Woodbridge, UK, he saw by pure chance an advertising poster with the image of a leopardand it was love at first sight. One year AND seven thousand dollars later, his appearance had changed dramatically. But other changes were coming.
the leopard man
After 28 years of service as militaryincluding a stint in the Royal Navy and Rhodesian Special Forces, he decided to drop everything and move from London to a small cabin abandoned on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He lived for 20 years like hermit in this remote island. The hermit did not have a telephone, bathed and drank water from a nearby river, and traveled by kayak to forage for food once a week.
“I’m not interested in contact with society. I don’t even have a cell phone. The truth is that I don’t care about what’s going on around me, I just want to live my life in peace,” Tom Leppard said in an interview to Keeperin 2008.
His original name was Tom Wooldridge. And although he lived his last years in Scotland, he was born in England on October 14, 1935. After a long time in the army, he made a dramatic change in his life and with it he attracted the attention of the whole world.
He had 99.9% of his body tattooed
He leopard man he was covered in tattoos 99.9% from his body. The only parts that weren’t tattooed on her were the insides of her ears and the skin between her toes. Interestingly, I wasn’t a fan of cats: he chose to look like a leopard because it was the easiest way for the artist. She just wanted to excel at something and make money from it.
Her looks helped finance her isolated existence. It was an easy way to get money. “He would have gotten an income for being the most tattooed man in the world, and would have been photographed for the Guinness Book of World Records or appeared on television,” Leppard told British media.
He added: “I had a fang-shaped replacement set of teeth that I’d put in publicity photos. But it was a necessary evil to supplement my income support, or ultimately my pension. Not something I enjoyed.”
Like a cat’s fur
Tom Leppard had a saffron yellow pattern covering his body and several dark spots that simulated feline fur. His body art caught the attention of the world and became famous after appearing on the book of records Records in 2002, as man more tattooed by world.
At that time it was nicknamed the “leopard man of Skye”. At that time, his record was replaced by that of Lucky Diamond Rich, the current holder of the title. Although he was later given another distinction: the old man more masculine tattooed by world. On that occasion he said he had spent approx 7 thousand dollars in their transformations.
“People in the UK have been brainwashed into believing that a tattooed person is just a criminal and that’s it. My tattoos haven’t changed me, but they have changed people’s view of me,” said Tom .
He lived alone on an island
The leopard man lived for 20 years only in one cabin on the Isle of Skye. Their home was primitive and met the basics. It had a dirt floor, a sheet metal roof and dry stone walls without windows. He slept on a Styrofoam bed and cooked on a stove. I had to travel once a week kayak to the nearest village to get grocery shop. But this proved to be dangerous.
In 2008 he decided to move to the city of Broadford, to have more comfort given his advanced age. And then he moved to a retirement home in the city of Inverness, where deceased on June 12, 2016, at the 80 years old. After his death, the title of most tattooed senior male in the world went to Charles Helmke, a 79-year-old American.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.