A Los Angeles street artist impersonated actor Michael Vartan in media interviews Wednesday to promote himself in the wake of actor Alan Thicke’s death.
The artist known as Midas Lives admitted his deceit in videos posted on social media after outlets, including TMZ and the Daily News, posted stories with his hoax quotes.
The man took advantage of the fact his cell phone number is listed as having belonged to Vartan at some point.
When media outlets called it to check reports Vartan was at Pickwick Ice in Burbank, Calif., on Tuesday shortly before Thicke’s fatal heart attack, the man answered and pretended to be Vartan.
He fabricated a story that he was at Pickwick with his “friend” Midas Lives Tuesday morning and said Thicke expressed great interest in Midas Lives’ work and wanted to commission a piece.
In an interview with the Daily News, the man spoke in a soft, deliberate voice and said he was “sad to see a good friend go.”
In his confession videos posted Wednesday afternoon on Twitter, the man said he started the fraud in an initial interview with TMZ.com.
He called it a “spontaneous” art piece and claimed he didn’t “mean any disrespect to the late, great Alan Thicke at all.”
Vartan’s publicist Nancy McCarty Iannios said her client — best known for roles on the TV dramas “Alias” and “Hawthorne” — was surprised when stories started popping up with the man’s counterfeit quotes attributed to him.
She said Midas Lives “has chosen to impersonate Michael when he receives incoming calls, while also promoting himself as a street artist.”
“Although Michael played hockey at the same rink as Alan Thicke yesterday, he did not have the opportunity to speak with Alan, so the reports have all been false,” she said.
A spokeswoman for TMZ said simply, “He pulled the same stunt on us.”
Reached by the Daily News after his lie was exposed, Midas Lives apologized, saying that he now regrets his actions. He said TMZ texted him in the morning, asking for comment from Vartan and he saw it as a “great opportunity.”
“I realize I went about it in the wrong way and most certainly at the wrong time, and for that I apologize,” he told The News.
“I can see how people take it in very poor taste. That wasn’t my intention. Things just started to escalate.”
“I didn’t use my best judgment today,” he said, adding, “It’s a death, it’s not a joke. I apologize for the confusion. I definitely learned a valuable lesson today.”
Thicke was at Pickwick Ice around noon Tuesday when he suddenly fell ill and someone called 911.
He was rushed to nearby Providence St. Joseph Medical Center and died.
A publicist for Thicke’s musician son Robin Thicke confirmed the cause of death was a “heart attack.”
Thicke’s sons shared emotional tributes on social media.
“Today I lost my best friend and my idol, and the world lost one of its finest,” 19-year-old son Carter Thicke wrote on Instagram.
“He was the best man I ever knew. The best friend I ever had. Let’s all rejoice and celebrate the joy he brought to every room,” 39-year-old son Robin Thicke, the famed singer-songwriter behind the hit single “Blurred Lines,” said in a post.
ndillon@nydailynews.com
