New Orleans--Al Copeland, the New Orleans-based spicy “chicken-man” is dead.
Copeland, who built a fried-chicken empire yet lived a spicy life of divorces, lawsuits and flamboyance died Sunday near MunichGermany.
Last year, he was diagnosed with salivary gland tumor had been seeking a variety of treatment, but, ultimately succumbed to the disease.
Copeland created Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken and then opened a series of Copeland Restaurants and other eateries.
Over the past few years, Copeland had been involved in a nasty custody dispute, was at the center of an architectural design fight with writer Ann Rice (which was pitted as Chicken and Rice and had been in a controversy over Christmas displays which some considered to be gaudy and not appropriate for a quiet neighborhood.
