Viral sensation Ronnie Pickering, famous for his ‘Do you know who I am?’ rant, has been subject to false death rumours – but his family have now debunked the claims
Britain’s most unlikely internet sensation, Ronnie Pickering, has once again found himself making headlines – though this time for entirely different reasons.
The man behind one of the web’s most memorable meltdowns was falsely reported dead yesterday, with thousands of posts on social media paying tribute to the Hull man, claiming he had passed away on Friday aged 64.
Ronnie’s family have roundly condemned the “fake news”. One relative wrote: “People believing this fake news and making a laugh and joke about it are disgusting and disrespectful. He’s a lot more than just an internet meme. I’m not just gonna have people disrespect a member of my family to this extent.”
Pickering rocketed to worldwide fame in 2015 following a road rage confrontation with a moped rider. In the now-legendary clip, he repeatedly demanded: “Do you know who I am?” – only to be met with the now-iconic confused reply: “No.”
The extraordinary exchange transformed him into an overnight meme, with millions tickled by the sheer absurdity of the incident. From that moment on, “Ronnie Pickering” became a household name – even if nobody could quite explain why.
Pickering later confessed he regretted the outburst, acknowledging he was “spouting gobbledegook” and having a difficult day. He previously stated: “To be honest, I was just spouting a lot of gobbledegook. I said things I wouldn’t normally say. I now wish I had never said all that but what can you do?”
Pickering, who claimed years ago that he “never made a penny” from the footage, added: “People have rows like that all the time but they are not always filmed. The guy wanted a reaction and he got one.
“I now see the funny side. It has become a comedy video really. There were unpleasant words had but there was no violence. It made a lot of people laugh. It has stayed with me but I do not revel in it. It is certainly not something to be proud of.
“You just have to get on with it. One day I was just me and the next everyone knew the name Ronnie Pickering. Some people still come up to be and say ‘do you know who I am?’ but I don’t mind and I have a laugh about it.”
Yet the clip has refused to fade away, securing his position in British internet history.
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