Iranian man, Mehran Karimi Nasseri, lived for 18 years in the Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, has died at age 77.
Mehan Karimi Nasseri
Born in 1945 in the Iranian province of Khuzestan, Mehran Karimi Nasseri lived a life caught in diplomatic limbo, and eventually made a small area of Charles de Gaulle airport his home in 1988.
According to reports, he was found sleeping on a red plastic bench every year, making friends with airport workers, showering in staff facilities, writing in his diary, reading magazines, and surveying passing travelers.
The airport dweller ended up returning to the airport several weeks ago, where he died of natural causes, an airport official told AFP.
Nasseri left Iran to study in England in 1974 and said he was imprisoned for protesting against the Shah and expelled without a passport when he returned. He was eventually given the right to live in France.
He spent some years living in Belgium, having been expelled from countries including the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany for not having the correct immigration documents. He then went to France, where he made the airport’s 2F Terminal his home.
His Life Prompted the Tom Hanks Movie, “The Terminal”
His story attracted international media attention and caught the eye of Stephen Spielberg, who directed The Terminal, starring Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Not long after the film’s release, journalists flocked to speak with the man who had inspired a Hollywood movie. At one point, Mr. Nazzeri, who called himself “Sir Alfred,” was giving up to six interviews daily.
The Bitter Ending
Nasseri made the airport home until 2006 when he was taken to a hospital to be treated for an illness. Afterward, he lived in a hostel for a while, using the money he had received for the film.
The official who commented on his death, said that Nasseri was found with several thousand euros in his possession.
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