Gunther von Hagens, plastination inventor and BODY WORLDS creator, dies at 81; his body will be plastinated
The German anatomist, who brought preserved human bodies to the public through his BODY WORLDS exhibitions, died on 24 July. His family says his own body will undergo plastination, the technique he invented.
Death and final wish
Gunther von Hagens died on 24 July 2026 at the age of 81. He had been living with Parkinson's disease for several years and was admitted to a Heidelberg hospital with a brain hemorrhage one day before his death. The family and the Institute for Plastination announced his passing on 27 July. Von Hagens had publicly stated his wish to undergo plastination after death, and his family confirmed they will honour that request. It remains unclear whether a full-body plastinate or individual specimens will be created, and whether they will be publicly displayed.
Gunther wanted to give people the opportunity to look beneath the skin -- not out of sensationalism, but from the deep conviction that knowledge of one's own body can contribute to a more conscious, healthier responsible life.
The plastination technique and BODY WORLDS
Von Hagens invented plastination in 1977 at the University of Heidelberg. The technique replaces water and fat in biological tissues with polymers, creating durable, odourless specimens that retain their original structure. In the 1990s he founded the Institute for Plastination and launched the BODY WORLDS exhibitions, which display whole human bodies and individual organs preserved through plastination. The bodies are posed in everyday activities such as playing badminton, poker, and sexual intercourse. According to the institute, the exhibitions have drawn more than 58 million visitors worldwide since their debut. The exhibitions continue to tour globally; a permanent museum operates in Berlin. Von Hagens' wife, Angelina Whalley, has served as curator and creative director of BODY WORLDS since its inception.
My father never accepted that boundaries were fixed. He brought anatomy out of the closed world of specialists and into society. His courage, his perseverance and his unwavering belief that education serves humanity will continue to guide us.
Controversy and public debate
The exhibitions provoked sharp criticism. Opponents argued that displaying human remains in lifelike poses violated human dignity. Berlin's Mitte district attempted to block the opening of a permanent BODY WORLDS museum at Alexanderplatz, contending that the plastinates remained corpses and should be buried. Von Hagens and his supporters maintained that all specimens came from donors who had explicitly consented to their bodies being used for educational purposes. Despite the disputes, the exhibitions persisted and became a global phenomenon. Von Hagens was often labelled "Dr. Tod" (Dr. Death) in the press.
He made millions of people see their own bodies with different eyes.
Biographical background
Gunther von Hagens was born Gunther Gerhard Liebchen in 1945 in Alt-Skalden near Poznań, in present-day Poland. He later adopted the surname of his first wife. In 1965 he began studying medicine in Jena, East Germany. After protesting the suppression of the Prague Spring and attempting to flee to the West, he was imprisoned in Cottbus and Jena. In 1970 the Federal Republic of Germany bought his freedom for 40,000 Deutschmarks. He completed his doctorate at Heidelberg University and devoted himself to plastination from the 1970s onward. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2008 and gradually withdrew from public appearances, though the exhibitions continued under Whalley's direction.
- Born Gunther Liebchen near Poznań, present-day Poland.
- Begins medical studies in Jena, East Germany.
- Freed from East German prison for 40,000 DM.
- Invents plastination at the University of Heidelberg.
- Launches the first BODY WORLDS exhibition.
- Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
- Dies at age 81; his body will be plastinated.
