World's Most Arrested Man, Henry Earl of Lexington, KY, Dies At 74

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Henry Earl, whose criminal history included more than 1500 busts, passed away last week. He was 74.

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Earl's 1,300 arrests (mostly alcohol-related offenses) are only documented back to 1992, when the Division of Community Corrections of Lexington Fayette Urban County Government began booking digitally. His lesser known criminal history dates back to the 1970s, which some speculate brings his cumulative total to over 1,500 arrests and over 6,000 days in jail.

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Earl was well known in Lexington for hanging around the University of Kentucky's college bars to get drinks from students. He would tell people to call him "James Brown."

"You couldn't meet Henry Earl and not love him," said Ramsey. "Henry Earl, he'll never be forgotten."
The attention Earl garnered online even earned him an invite to "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in 2004, although he was not able to attend in person as he was in prison.

Earl said he began drinking at 18 after his adoptive mother died, and became homeless soon after when he arrived to his job as a busboy drunk. Earl remained homeless for decades, until he was admitted to Owenton Healthcare and Rehabilitation Facility following an illness in 2017. He spent the last seven years of his life in the facility.

He was a joy to them too. He would come down and try to dance for them, told them all he was James Brown. He was just a character.

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