Paul Addis, a playwright and performer best known for prematurely setting fire to the man at Burning Man in 2007 (and also did two years jail time for the incident), died Saturday night beneath a westbound BART train at Embarcadero Station. As the Appeal reports, witnesses saw him jump in front of the train around 7:48 p.m.
Addis 40, became notorious for his act of protest at Burning Man, which he did in response to the event becoming what he called an "Alterna-Disney" that needed a "reality check." He ended up spending two years in a Nevada prison for the arson, and returned in 2010 with a one-man show titled Dystopian Veneer. The play brought Addis's trademark anger to the subject of the Wall Street meltdown and the commercialized San Francisco he saw when he returned from jail.
He also once tried burning down Grace Cathedral.
Previously, Addis had written and performed another one-man show about Hunter S. Thompson called Gonzo, A Brutal Chrysalis.
The suicide caused major delays for BART in both directions Saturday evening.
