Sad news from Gothamist:

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.

I used to see Joe peeling carrots and potatoes with his "magic" peeler almost every other day. The Union Square Green Market will not be the same without him. What a man and a character! R.I.P.

Photo credit: killthebird, via Flickr.