Remember Michael Leisner, the Minnesota man who set fire to the General Mills lawn in a protest against same-sex marriage?
He's dead.
The gay marriage opponent whose recent fiery, videotaped protest outside General Mills gained national attention--and triggered a criminal investigation--died over the weekend, according to police.
Michael Leisner, 65, died Saturday while running an errand near his Andover, Minnesota home. His funeral service is scheduled for Friday morning at the Emmanuel Christian Center.
Dwight Denyes, the church’s senior pastor, told TSG that Leisner (pictured at right) apparently died of a heart attack Saturday while waiting in his car for two of his children to finish playing tennis.
Leisner set fire to a box of Honey Nut Cheerios to protest cereal maker General Mills' decision to oppose a proposed ballot initiative in Minnesota banning same-sex marriage. The video of the incident went viral.
In the clip, Leisner uses a blowtorch to light the box on fire, then places the box on the ground, igniting the grass. He tries and fails to stomp the flames out and says to his companions, "OK, get out of here guys! Get in the car!" They flee the scene, leaving the grass on fire.
Police began a criminal investigation against Leisner based on the video. A police department spokesman told The Smoking Gun that Leisner's death brings the investigation to an end.