The mystery of the "Piano Man"—the supposedly mute and amnesiac virtuoso pianist who was found in early April soaking wet on a beach in Southern England—has been solved, to the great humiliation of several news organizations that have been covering the story.

According to an article on CNN, an inside source at the hospital where the man was staying told the British tabloid Mirror that the man, who started talking last week, has been sent back home to Germany, and—here's the kicker—has no formal training whatsoever. "When he played the piano in the hospital he didn't play it that well, contrary to all the reports, but just kept tapping one key continuously," the source said. "He admitted that he couldn't play the piano that well at all." Poor CNN. Here are a few snippets of a prior breathless report they did on the man, "Claims 'Piano Man' mystery solved," May 29, 2005:

•"Piano Man" stunned carers with a four-hour virtuoso piano performance after he was found wandering aimlessly near a beach on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, southern England, more than seven weeks ago.

•Staff at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham gave the tall, blonde man a pen and paper in the hope he would write his name or draw his country's flag. Instead, he drew highly detailed pictures of a grand piano, showing not only the keys, but also the intricate inner workings of the instrument.

•When shown a piano in the hospital chapel, he played classical music "beautifully." Since then, he has written music, but remains mute.

•The case has drawn comparisons with the Oscar-winning 1996 film Shine [IMDB], which tells the moving story of acclaimed pianist David Helfgott who suffered a nervous breakdown while playing.

It's not as though CNN (and countless other publications) was not warned. On May 16, an Associated Press article (which is strangely included in this Bangkok Post lesson plan) quoted hospital chaplain Rev. Steve Spencer as saying the patient "is not the virtuoso that he has been portrayed in the press."