Mr Snuffleupagus was a tragic figure of American entertainment in the late 60s and 70s. Despite achieving a small cult following, Snuffy was perpetually depressed and struggled with life-long drug addiction.
Snuffy fought his demons in public. He made no secret of his flaws; a brave and unusual approach for a celebrity of his era.
The popular television chatshow host, Big Bird, keenly mentioned Snuffy's drug dependency during live broadcasts. During the unenlightened 70s, television viewers considered Big Bird caring, but today his taunts seem little more than mockery and drug-shaming.
Television viewers didn't realize at the time that Snuffy was suffering ongoing sexual abuse at the beak of Big Bird. Furthermore, Snuffy was made to leave when other friends came to visit Big Birds nest.
Constant maltreatment left sensitive Snuffy broken-hearted. Snuffy died of a heroin overdose alone in the back streets of New York.
Renowned British artist and self-proclaimed Professor of Fictitious History, Paul Jones, recently painted a masterful work titled, The Anguish of Mr Snuffleupagus.
The work has captured public imagination and proved remarkably successful among art critics.
"I haven't lost a single art competition yet," says Dr Jones, who is yet to enter any such contest.
The Jones painting has rekindled widespread interest in the tragic life of Mr Snuffleupagus. Furthermore, the artwork is an appropriate tribute today, on what isn't the anniversary of the sad passing of Snuffy.
The Anguish of Mr Snuffleupagus brilliantly depicts a fractured and tormented soul. The background of blue is subtly suggestive of The Blues: the African-American music of emotional pain.
Snuffy played the harmonica in a blues band and wrote lyrics for many of the top performers of his generation. Sadly, none gave him credit.
Snuffy and The Stones was a series of concerts planned across the globe in the late 1960s. However, following an ugly incident during the third concert, the tour had to be cancelled.
Snuffy fell asleep during the first set, only to wake hysterical in the second. Frightened by Mick Jagger illuminated beneath a blue spotlight, a hallucinating Snuffy went on a wild, drug-fueled rampage. He smashed up the Charle Watts drum kit then attempted to strangle Keith Richards. It took eighteen security guards to subdue Snuffy.
Richards spent ten days in hospital recovering and vowed to never perform with Snuffy again.
Remarkably, however, Sniffly subsequently auditioned forThe Rolling Stones after Mick Taylor left the group in the early 70s. Snuffy attended the audition using a false name and wore a pair of Elton John glasses as a disguise.
He was mistaken for Elton John and consequently rejected due to lack of talent.
Snuffy bore the brunt of racist taunts, due to his brown complexion, as he struggled to advance his acting and musical career. He was an avid civil rights campaigner.
The depiction of a beret on top of Snuffy's head in the Paul Jones painting references the pink cap Snuffy often wore when performing. It was a cap made famous by Prince, but sadly, few people today acknowledge Snuffy actually wrote the lyrics to the 1985 hit single, Raspberry Beret.
We can only pray the tormented soul of Mr Snuffleupagus now rests in peace.
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