The British street artist known as Helch, celebrated for his distinctive tag across London and southern England, has died, according to the east London gallery BSMT Space. He first gained widespread attention in 2018 after painting his eponymous tag in capital letters across numerous public locations, including bridges on the M4, M1 and M25 motorways. His identity was never officially confirmed, though one media outlet claimed to have named him at the end of last year, and BSMT Space said his passing had left them "broken hearted".

Helch's work often appeared in stylised fonts or varying colours, and sometimes simply as the letter "H". He became particularly well known in 2019 when the phrase "Boris is…" appeared on a bridge north of Bristol, was painted over by Network Rail, and then resurfaced as "Boris is Helch". BSMT Space, which released his first print in 2022 to instant sell-out demand, described him as a "true perfectionist" who had been "coming into his own as an artist" over the past year, having remained largely detached from the conventional gallery world.