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Perri David Rlickman, performed clown act

By Associated Press, 4/5/2003

He made children laugh and some grown-ups cringe, but Perri the Clown always did what a clown is supposed to do: he attracted attention.

Perri David Rlickman, an itinerant street performer who delighted people with his whistling and balloon-making but also drew complaints about some of his other antics, was found dead in his Boston apartment on March 24. He was 51.

Mr. Rlickman was the talk of Provincetown, on the tip of Cape Cod, during recent summers. At first he was a big hit in the progressive resort town, especially with children.

''I can actually communicate with these kids through my whistling,'' he told the Cape Cod Times in a 2001 interview.

In 2001, the town's police chief tried to revoke Mr. Rlickman's street performer's license after complaints that he made offensive remarks and was frequently drunk. The American Civil Liberties Union stepped in and negotiated another chance on the grounds that bad taste was no reason to deny him a livelihood.

Boston police said foul play was not suspected in his death. An official from the state medical examiner's office did not immediately return a phone message yesterday seeking information on the cause of death.

Mr. Rlickman, a native of Bluefield, W.Va., apparently migrated around Massachusetts, Florida, and other locations.

Raffi Bezjian, owner of Leo's Diner in Cambridge's Harvard Square, where Mr. Rlickman stopped by three or four times a day when living in Boston, said there was another side to him.

''I had the opportunity to get to know him and I saw the other side of him, not being a clown,'' Bezjian said. ''He just had a really, really good heart. He cared about people.''

Mr. Rlickman was usually behind on what he owed the diner but kept careful track of what he'd eaten there and would pay off the debt when he had a few dollars and bus tables when things got busy, Bezjian said. Bezjian often saw him walking around Harvard Square talking to the homeless and handing out a few dollars.

On the Friday before he died, Mr. Rlickman left as usual and asked when Bezjian would be by to open up Saturday morning.

''I said, `Why do you want to know?' just joking,'' Bezjian said. ''And he said, `I want to come by and annoy you.'''

But Mr. Rlickman, who always told Bezjian when he was leaving town, didn't show up that Saturday, or again on Sunday.

''I miss that whistling, his nuisance,'' Bezjian said. ''We got a phone call late Monday afternoon that the clown is resting in peace.''

Bezjian plans to host a memorial later this month.

This story ran on page B7 of the Boston Globe on 4/5/2003.

© Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.

Aye, I knew him well. He spoke to me fondly of New Orleans and its people. He looked out for the less fortunate homeless folks of the area, quite noble. Perri the Hobo has left a huge void in Harvard Square. There will be a memorial service for him on the 16th of April at Leo's Place, a favorite eatery of his. I'm a bit torn up at the moment, let me get back to you.

Jaime