Artist who "upset Queen Elizabeth II with Windsor graffiti" dies aged 34

31 August 2026 , 16:04

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Michael Purdy, a guerrilla artist known as Helch, has died at the age of 34.

Mr Purdy built a reputation over several years for painting his signature name in giant capital letters across buildings, concrete motorway bridges, railway viaducts and rooftops throughout the capital.

His death was announced on Saturday, with fellow artists and admirers sharing tributes under the banner: "Rest in Paint."

The circumstances surrounding his death have not been made public, though friends have spoken of being devastated by the sudden loss.

Mr Purdy had only recently begun transitioning into the legitimate art world, with his first prints selling out within an hour of release.

The Helch phenomenon first emerged in West London in September 2018, when a burst of tags began appearing around Harrow before rapidly spreading across the city. His distinctive pieces soon adorned bridges on the M4, M1 and M25, sometimes rendered in stylised fonts or varying colours, and occasionally reduced to a solitary letter "H."

A childhood friend from Hayes told Metro: "He made the name Helch when we were kids. He is a London legend but also 1,000% a Hayes one too."

In 2019, 60ft-high white letters spelling his name near Windsor Castle had to be scrubbed from a railway viaduct after the late Queen Elizabeth II was reportedly upset that the graffiti marred the view of the royal residence.

A source told The Sun at the time: “The Queen was extremely upset to hear that this view of Windsor Castle has been turned into such an eyesore. Her aides have been asked to see what can be done to have this gratuitous vandalism cleaned up and the views across to Windsor Castle restored to their former beauty.”

West Windsor Residents Association chairman Richard Endacott added: “The Royal Windsor Way is the gateway into our town and is the first view that you get of Windsor Castle. For this piece of vandalism to ruin this view is just devastating and I am sure the Queen will not be impressed and it is essential that action is taken to restore a once fantastic view.

“However much it costs we have 1.4million tourists visiting Windsor Castle this year and this should not be their first sighting of it and the sort of memory they take away of it.”

A spokesman for Network Rail said at the time: “All graffiti removal comes at the taxpayers’ expense and we only remove it when it is deemed offensive or else the people who do it go back and just do it again.”

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Within the art world, Helch earned the status of "a world class artist" who "embodied everything we love about graffiti."

Alternative London posted: "We were so fortunate to witness him at work. We’ve never seen anyone do what he did before and there will never be another like him again."

Veteran drum and bass DJ Doc Scott shared an image of one of Purdy’s canvas works with the words "RIP Helch."

Zonk DDS, a well-known London graffiti writer, described him as an "iconic British artist gone far too soon," while SMT crew, a nationwide graffiti collective, called him "a big figure in the London and UK scene."

Fellow artist Lord remembered him as "a genuine good brother," adding: "One of the best roller writers we ever had."

BSMT Space, the urban contemporary art gallery in Dalston that first announced his death on Instagram, had spent six months persuading the reclusive artist to meet in person before releasing his debut print in 2022, which sold out within the hour.

His first full exhibition at the gallery in December drew urban art enthusiasts and collectors from around the globe, marking the first occasion his work could be purchased legally.

Shortly before his death, Mr Purdy shared an image of his 224-page photo book, Lost But Living, documenting his international street typography and roller graffiti from 2022 to 2024.