The London Evening Standard reports that British food blogger Wilkes McDermid, fell to his death from a London rooftop terrace shortly after it had closed on the afternoon of Sunday, 8 February.
McDermid, who started the blog Wilkes888 was well known in the world of food blogging and had been in the media spotlight before – when in 2013 he when missing in Cape Town while visiting friends.
Followers tweeted their concerns when McDermid tweeted (on 8 February) a link to his blog post titled, “Final message… thank you everyone…”.
The blog post
The post begins with a quote from Samuel Johnson “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” McDermid then agrees by saying, “… I am tired of life.”
In his last blog post, McDermid encourages readers to read his ‘reasons,‘ rather than to hear it from someone else. There is a picture of Cape Town in the blog post where he writes about his reasons.
Then, McDermid details how he has watched London’s food and drink scene change over the years, and offers personal insights into the industry. In line with the fascination with final meals, he lists his own.
The post ends with another quote: “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss.
The scene of death
Coq D’Argent, once owned by Sir Terence Conran, is popular with urban professionals but there have been several suicides from the rooftop area.
Last year, owners, D&D London installed 6ft-high (±1.8 m) barriers and instructed security guards to question any solo visitors in the roof-top terrace.
The restaurant closes for lunch on Sunday at 3pm but the bar and terrace remain open until 5pm.
According to the City of London Police, the death is not being treated as ‘suspicious.’