Noel Godin, who pied the powerful for 50 years, dies at 80

Noel Godin, an activist widely known for his decades-long habit of throwing cream pies in the faces of famous and powerful people, has died at 80.

For more than 50 years, Godin targeted a wide range of prominent figures, including politicians, philosophers and filmmakers. His campaign of pie attacks became a distinctive, if unconventional, form of public commentary aimed at people holding influence and power across different fields.

A famous target

Among his best-known targets was Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who was famously hit with a cream pie in a widely noted incident. That episode became one of the most emblematic moments of Godin's long-running campaign and helped cement his reputation as someone unafraid to confront even the world's most powerful and influential figures.

A lasting legacy

Over the decades, Godin did not confine his pie-throwing to a single country or profession — his targets spanned politics, philosophy and film. Through a simple but pointed gesture, he managed to make even the most powerful people visibly uneasy, using humor as a tool of protest against authority and influence.

News of his death has drawn attention to the legacy of a man who turned an unusual, lighthearted act into a recognizable form of dissent, one that made powerful people nervous for more than half a century.