Alfonso de Bourbon

Alfonso de Bourbon Sampedro (born Leon Shafferman; 22 October 1932 – 10 January 2012), known as The Count, was a Swiss-American eccentric who claimed to be a descendant of the Spanish Royal Family and a first cousin of King Juan Carlos. Bourbon became one of the most recognizable residents of La Jolla, an affluent neighborhood of San Diego, California, where he lived for several decades. He was killed when a dumpster truck driver pinned him while he was dumpster diving.

Background

Alfonso de Bourbon was born Leon Shafferman in the south of Switzerland, but changed his name in 1968. His family came from Egypt. Morris Shafferman, his adopted father, was also an eccentric, and changed his name to Patrick Stewart. Bourbon attributed his lack of fingers to frostbite. In an interview with the Spanish historian José María Zavala, he claimed to have been born in Lausanne, Switzerland, and left there in the care of Roman Catholic nuns, who informed him Bourbon wrote a book about his alleged royal lineage. His physical resemblance to the King, polyglotism, manners, and ceremoniousness convinced many of his acquaintances that he was, in fact, of royal heritage. and that he then worked as an interpreter for the United Nations in New York City. Bourbon was a regular guest at fundraising parties for civic and social organizations, including the San Diego Opera. He served as Navy League of the United States ambassador in 2011, and was also president of the San Diego-Alcalá de Henares Sister City Society, and led a few tourist trips to Alcalá de Henares. He claimed to have been married once, but that the marriage was short-lived.

Death In his old age, Bourbon often cadged food and clothes from his neighbours. He was dumpster diving when he died around 6 p.m. on 10 January 2012; a tractor-trailer reversed and pinned him between a dumpster and a loading dock wall behind a market. The driver was unaware that Bourbon was there. The market employee who identified his body described him as "a colorful part of La Jolla" and "a nice man". A memorial service took place on 20 January at Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church. On 21 February 2012, his remains were cremated and the ashes sent to the sea, which he had prepaid. The cremation and deposition of ashes was delayed because Bourbon's next of kin had to be notified, although they never responded. Bourbon's first cousin, living in Miami, explained that Bourbon's family cut contact with him 50 years earlier due to his eccentricity.