A father has declared that he is more popular than Elton John after he legally changed his name to Fire Exit.

Previously known as Deano Wilson, Fire Exit has revealed that he spent $20 (£17) to change his name during the pandemic.

The father-of-five thought at that time that he had ‘nothing to lose’ as he found out that it was cheaper to change the name during the lockdown.

Fire Exit explained that it started out as a joke between family members but his ultimate decision to legally change his name also brought him fame.

“Nobody else has a name that well-known, not even Elton John. People are always coming up to me in bars and at parties – they know who I am,” he said.

“People have given me loads of free drinks and one barber even cut my hair for free because he heard about my name change. I have been signing signs everywhere. Some shops, estate agents, and other places have my autograph on their exit signs.”

Fire Exit went on: “I work in different countries a lot of the time. I recently visited Berlin and it’s already getting spread around there. People check out the stories about me in their own language.”

Even though he changed his name for fun, he has received negative remarks from mean people on social media.

“I did it for comedy but there have been all different kinds of reactions. The most common name is b***end. But in person it is different – when people meet me they instantly see it’s a whole different thing,” Fire Exit said.

“They’re all just nasty haters and it doesn’t bother me so much because that’s where the comedy is. I’m the one that’s laughing. Nobody else has a name recognizable all around the world. It lights up in every country,” he added.

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