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In 2015, a controversy erupted in the small English town of Malvern that went global when the town council removed a specially made, star-shaped headstone that had placed on the grave of a child. The headstone for 4-year-old Max Corbett-Gardener featured a gray-colored Teddy bear holding a black star, and according to the BBC, it was removed three days after it was erected over complaints that its shape did not confirm to cemetery rules: Max died due to complications associated with severe epilepsy in 2013, and two years later his mother, Jo Corbett-Gardener, had the custom gravestone made to commemorate what would have been his 7th birthday. She told the BBC in a 5 June 2015 report that she wasn't informed that a decision had been made to remove the memorial: It remains unclear who issued the complaint(s) that resulted in the headstone's removal: a cold-hearted private citizen, as many headlines implied, or by town officials. According to local reports, the town council blamed the stonemason who installed the headstone, saying he didn't secure proper permits: Corbett-Gardener launched an online petition in hopes of having the custom-made marker returned, and as of 26 December 2016 it had garnered more than 56,000 signatures. The tragedy of a young child's death, coupled with the outrage factor of the removal of his innocuous memorial, has spread the story far beyond the confines of tiny Malvern. Since it was first published in June 2015, the story has continued to make its way around many corners of the online world. We have reached out to the Malvern town council but have not yet heard back.
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