Bryan Campen sent FlickrMail to let me know that Joe Ades, aka the gentleman carrot peeler, who we featured on FlickrBlog a couple of years ago, has passed away:

“The city lost one its quintessential characters Sunday when the enigmatic Joe Ades died after decades spent selling his $5 vegetable peelers at the Union Square Greenmarket, and other locations around town. Ades, born in Manchester, England, was an unavoidable and entertaining presence at Union Square, and eventually became something of a media darling for his loud, hypnotic patter; his distinctive suits; and his incongruous Park Avenue address.”

Photos from killthebird, photodrifting, and sgoralnick.

View more photos of Joe Ades on Flickr.