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The internet's interest is periodically piqued by a photograph supposedly showing Frank Rocky Fiegel, the man believed to be cartoonist E.C. Segar's inspiration for the character of Popeye: The claim that Fiegel was the inspiration for Popeye is largely accurate. However, the picture shown above is not a photograph of him. Fred Grandinetti explored the origins of the character in his book Popeye: An Illustrated Cultural History. He found that the locals of Chester, Ill., where creator Segar was raised in the early 1900s, likely served as an inspiration to Segar. The characterization of Popeye, for example, can be found in the look and personality of Fiegel, who had a strong chin, always smoked a pipe, and had a propensity for fights, according to Grandinetti: Some versions of this claim also state that Fiegel, like Popeye, was a sailor, but that wasn't the case. Furthermore, Fiegel wasn't aware of his role in the creation of Popeye until the final years of his life, according to the Southern Illinoisan: While Fiegel likely inspired Segar's Popeye character, the viral photograph frequently attached to this claim doesn't actually show him. The image is one of an anonymous sailor aboard the HMS Rodney in 1940. The image is available via the Imperial War Museum where it is presented with the caption: A Leading Stoker nicknamed Popeye, with 21 years service: Fiegel was in his 70s at the time this photograph was taken. Furthermore, HMS Rodney was a British battleship in service of the Royal Navy, far from Fiegel's home in Chester. A genuine photograph of the real life Popeye can be seen in a 1979 article published in the Carbondale, Ill., newspaper Southern Illinoisan about Chester's famous resident (see top right image): Sun, Apr 8, 1979 – Page 33 · Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, Illinois) · Newspapers.com Here's a larger version of that image: Fiegel passed away in 1947 and was buried in an unmarked grave. According to the Official Popeye Fan Club, this was remedied in 1996 when a headstone bearing a 1929 version of Popeye was placed at Fiegel's final resting place:
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