A music icon who wrote a music virtually anyone will know the phrases to died penniless after subsisting on “free champagne” for years. George Leybourne was an icon of the music halls within the nineteenth century, most well-known for his two songs Champagne Charlie and The Daring Younger Man on the Flying Trapeze. The latter, written about flying trapeze circus performer Jules Léotard, is thought for the lyrics “He’d fly by means of the air with the best of ease / that daring younger man on the flying trapeze”.

George was born Joseph Saunders in 1842, and shortly tailored a stage title to tour the music halls of the UK – premiering his observe Champagne Charlie in 1866. He was finally employed on the Canterbury Music Corridor on a wage of £25 every week, and given a carriage of his personal drawn by 4 white horses. Quickly he was incomes round £120 every week – the equal of £2,890 every week at the moment.

In 2025, that may be an annual wage of £150,280 earlier than tax. And that’s with out the cash he earned from his sponsorship from champagne firm Moet and Chandon, who gave George a retainer and infinite free champagne in return for promoting their product.

George was so well-known he even had a movie based mostly on his life launched in 1944 – aptly named Champagne Charlie.

However sadly, by the top of his life, his recognition had declined. He merely couldn’t adapt to the shifting leisure world, and was left impoverished. 

Former prime minister John Main, who penned a ebook in regards to the historical past of music halls, additionally explored the story of Leybourne. He instructed John Fleming at his weblog: “The nice George Leybourne, the person who sang Champagne Charlie within the 1860s was incomes £160 every week. What would that be price at the moment? You can purchase a home then for £15.

“And never solely was he paid £160 every week, however he was given free champagne on a regular basis as a result of he was promoting it, and he died penniless at 41 [sic – he died aged 42].

“He had a number of ‘associates’ and because the cash started to vanish, the buddies disappeared, and bitter and disillusioned, he died completely penniless. The cash simply ran by means of his palms. He would have made an excellent Chancellor in a current authorities.”