Tom Leppard, born as Tom Wooldridge, also known as Leopard Man or the Leopard Man of Skye, (14 October 1935 – 12 June 2016) was an English-born soldierInterview with Neil Stephen in the Guardian newspaper
''The cat who came in from the cold''
(28 October 2008) previously considered by ''

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'' to be the world's most

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several Process of tatt ...

ed man and later recognised as the most tattooed senior citizen. He is said to have spent £5,500 on his extensive body modifications, which covered his skin nearly entirely with a

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, a ...

-like coloured pattern. He stated he did not feel any affiliation with leopards, and selected spots solely because they were easy for tattoo artists to do on a grand scale. Leppard was a Roman Catholic. After 28 years service in the armed forces, including stints with the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

and then as a colour sergeant in the Rhodesian Special Forces,The Leopard Man of Skye Dies at Herald Scotland
Retrieved 14 June 2016 he moved from London to a small derelict

bothy A bothy is a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. It was also a term for basic accommodation, usually for gardeners or other workers on an estate. Bothies are found in remote mountainous areas of Sco ...

(hut) without amenities on the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, where he lived for the next 20 years as a hermit until 2008.Tattooed Leopard Man leaves hermit lifestyle behind at Daily Telegraph
Retrieved 14 June 2016 He would travel by

kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...

to the mainland to buy supplies and pick up his pension and groceries once a week. He then moved to a larger house in

Broadford, Skye Broadford ( gd, An t-Àth Leathann), together with nearby Harrapool, is the second-largest settlement on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Lying in the shadow of the Red Cuillin mountains, Broadford is within the parish of Strath. A long meandering vi ...

, followed by sheltered accommodation in a retirement home on the outskirts of the city of

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

. Although he was surpassed by Guinness as the Most Tattooed Man by

Lucky Diamond Rich __NOTOC__ Gregory Paul McLaren (born 1971), who goes by the name of Lucky Diamond Rich, is a New Zealand-British performance artist, street performer and international performing arts festival performer, whose acts include sword swallowing and ...

, he was given another distinction having been named the "Most Tattooed Male Senior Citizen". He died aged 80, on 12 June 2016. After his death, his title went to Charles Helmke, whose body is 97.5% covered in tattoos.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leppard, Tom 1935 births 2016 deaths People from Woodbridge, Suffolk People known for being heavily tattooed Place of birth missing Rhodesian Army personnel by regiment British Roman Catholics