“Over six feet tall, blonde and clad in a suit, the strange figure dubbed the “Piano Man” was found wandering along a beach in Kent, south-east England in early April. His clothes were drenched, and all the labels had been ripped out. Nothing about his person gave any clues whatsoever as to his identity, and he appeared unable to speak.”

For the past few months, theories have been thrown all over the place about the past of this so-called piano virtuoso. The BBC has now reported the man has returned to Germany and is in a stable mental state.

While the Beebs says the bare minimum about the discharge of the mysterious patient, Deutche Welle calls the man a hoax, claiming he was suicidal when the police found him, had previously worked with mentally ill patients and had mirrored their behaviour while in care. “Reports that he astonished staff at the Little Brook Hospital in Dartford with his virtuoso playing were grossly exaggerated, said the paper. In fact, all he ever did was tap one key over and over again.”

DW also goes as far as writing that “with the Piano Man now back in Germany, the Mirror also reports that doctors are considering suing their former patient, arguing that his treatment cost the cash-strapped National Health Service thousands of pounds and wasted expert time.”

I bet Hollywood was gagging for a good story out of this…

[Update: He wasn’t faking his psychotic episode, says the Beebs.]