Gunther von Hagens, the German anatomist whose innovative yet often controversial Body Worlds exhibitions brought preserved human bodies to a global audience, has died at the age of 81. His passing on 24 July 2026 in Heidelberg, Germany, followed a cerebral haemorrhage, after a long battle with Parkinson's disease, diagnosed in 2008.
Von Hagens gained worldwide recognition, and notoriety, for his plastination technique, which he developed in 1977. This process involves replacing bodily fluids and soluble fats with reactive plastics like silicon rubbers and resins, allowing tissues to become rigid and maintain their form. This innovation enabled the creation of his Body Worlds exhibitions, which began touring in 1995 and have since attracted over 50 million visitors globally. The exhibitions displayed human bodies in various lifelike poses, some dissected to reveal internal organs, others engaged in activities such as playing chess or exercising.
A spokesperson for the Plastinarium, a museum von Hagens founded in Guben, Germany, confirmed that his body "will definitely be plastinated" in accordance with his frequently stated wishes. While he had previously mused about his plastinated body being displayed in a welcoming pose at an exhibition entrance or even sliced and distributed, the exact mode and location of his own display have not yet been determined.
Born Gunther Gerhard Liebchen in January 1945 in what was then German-occupied Poland, von Hagens grew up in East Germany. His early life included imprisonment in 1969 for attempting to flee to the West, from which he was released to West Germany in 1970 as a political prisoner. It was there he adopted his first wife's surname, von Hagens, and later developed the plastination technique while working at the University of Heidelberg.
The Body Worlds exhibitions, co-curated with his second wife, Angelina Whalley, were championed by von Hagens as a means to "democratise anatomy" and challenge societal taboos surrounding death. However, they faced significant criticism, with some observers accusing them of sensationalism, particularly concerning the display of foetal specimens. Von Hagens consistently maintained that all bodies used in his exhibitions were from individuals who had explicitly donated them for educational purposes after their death.