BY KEVIN SAWYER – Last week, 47 year old Andrew Lang died on a New York City park bench. The bench was right near a long line waiting to get cronuts at a famous SoHo bakery. He was, of course, ignored by those around him. He was, however, a self made millionaire who was living in a $3 million condo in the city. He just liked to wander around and enjoy the city he had always loved. Sitting quietly and watching the world go by was entertainment enough for him.
The photograph of his body was splashed in all of the city’s daily newspapers, of course. It was such a calm scene. He sat upright on the bench, a pleasant expression on his face; his legs crossed in a confident manner. One tourist from Oregon remarked that he thought he was just asleep and looked so peaceful. He actually went over and sat next to him and snapped a selfie for his Facebook page.
After someone discovered he was actually dead and called the police, Lang’s body was draped in a white sheet; still in the peaceful sitting position he had died in. When his family finally found out about his death, they were horrified. Apparently, not only did the more than 30 people waiting in the cronut line stay there unfazed by a corpse sitting just yards away from them, but the speculation about who he was turned rather nasty. It was speculated everywhere that he was a homeless man or he was a neighborhood predator or even a hopeless drunk.
The SoHo bakery, apparently quite famous for its cronuts, across the street from where Andrew Lang peacefully died on a park bench.
All of which was wrong. Lang’s family came from Wisconsin but he moved to New York City early in his life. He loved being unknown and the anonymity that the city always presented him made him feel right at home. The family were all self made millionaires and Andrew enjoyed his quiet and simple life. The family made its first fortune by creating and selling calendars. He ate at the same restaurant every evening and even ordered the same meal every night. He love to walk and then just take a break and relax on his favorite bench at the nearby park that overlooked the bakery.
His family in Wisconsin remains distraught. Their Midwest demeanor can’t believe that photographs were taken of him sitting on the bench with a white sheet draped over him and then splashed all over the city papers. They also wondered why he would be forever known as the guy who died near the cronut line.
PHOTO CREDITS: The New York Daily News / The Gothamist