Jake was born John Gray on May 20, 1938.
The former lorry driver, who served in the RAF police, was married in his younger days but divorced shortly after his wife had their daughter.
Earlier in his life Jake suffered severe depression and his bizarre new life helped bring him back from the brink.
He changed his name to Jake Jonathon Zebedee Mangle-Wurzel although this is just one of his assumed names.
Jake has also been called Sir Thomas Henry Erasmus Occupier, or THE Occupier, possibly to confuse the postman.
His bizarre exploits and oddball schemes in the 1980s and 1990s meant he was always in the media spotlight
‘Joker Jake’ has been married four times but has been happily single for many years.
A prolific builder of contraptions and zany modifications, Jake is hard to miss when he’s out on the road.
His current car literally has the kitchen sink attached, although it’s rotated to 90 degrees and probably not much good for washing pots in.
Jake’s previous vehicle bore the registration plate M62 REX, as in King of the M62 which is a short distance from his home.
An earlier vehicle contained his bath.
Jake Mangel-Wurzel
A fire gutted his Peat Ponds cottage in July 2010.
And another blaze destroyed his static caravan home in April 2015.
He currently lives in a caravan next to his cottage with his dog Willie.
A feature-length biopic ‘Mr Somebody?’ was made about Jake, although he fell out with its director Michelle Heighway over the final cut.
