Gunther von Hagens, the creator of the controversial "Body Worlds" exhibitions featuring dissected human and animal bodies, has died at the age of 81, his family announced. Known sometimes as "Doctor Death," von Hagens gained fame for developing plastination, a technique that replaces fluids and fatty tissue in corpses with rubber and polymers, making anatomy accessible to the general public.
Von Hagens passed away on Friday, July 25th, 2026, a day after being admitted to a clinic in Heidelberg, Germany, with a brain haemorrhage. He had been living with Parkinson's Disease for nearly two decades. His family stated that it was his own wish to have his body preserved through plastination after death, and they intend to carry out this wish.
Born in Nazi-occupied Poland during the final months of World War Two, von Hagens grew up in communist East Germany before fleeing to the West in 1970. His exhibitions have been viewed by more than 58 million people worldwide, though they have often drawn objections from religious groups and others.
In 2002, von Hagens sparked further controversy by performing the first public autopsy in London in 170 years, which was broadcast on camera.
Loading comments.