Body Worlds Innovator Gunther Von Hagens Passes Away at 81
WHO:
BBC News - Gunther von Hagens was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2008.
The Guardian - Von Hagens was born Gunther Gerhard Liebchen in January 1945 in Skalmierzyce, Poland, then under German occupation.
ABC News - Gunther von Hagens, a German anatomist and creator of the "Body Worlds" exhibition.
ABC News - Von Hagens' family and the Institute for Plastination, which he founded.
ABC News - Rev. Ernst Pulsfort, spiritual rector of Berlin’s Catholic Academy.
ABC News - Dr. Michael Wilkes, head of ethics at the British Medical Association.
ABC News - Angelina Whalley, von Hagens' second wife and head of the Institute for Plastination.
WHAT:
The Guardian - Von Hagens died in a hospital in Heidelberg on July 24, after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage.
The Guardian - Von Hagens' family stated that his body "will definitely be plastinated, as this was always a long-held wish of his."
ABC News - Gunther von Hagens has died at the age of 81.
ABC News - Von Hagens was known for his "Body Worlds" exhibits featuring preserved human corpses.
ABC News - He developed the plastination process, which replaces body fluids with liquid plastic.
ABC News - The first "Body Worlds" exhibition was shown in Japan in 1995.
ABC News - Von Hagens conducted Britain’s first public autopsy in 170 years during a "Body Worlds" show in London in 2002.
ABC News - The "Body Worlds" exhibits were shown in several American cities after debuting in Los Angeles in 2004.
ABC News - Von Hagens' "Plastinarium" opened in Guben, Germany, in 2006.
ABC News - Von Hagens expressed a desire for his body to be preserved using the plastination technique.
WHERE:
ABC News - Von Hagens was born in what is now western Poland.
ABC News - He studied at medical school in Jena, East Germany.
ABC News - He worked at Heidelberg University’s pathology and anatomy institute.
ABC News - The "Body Worlds" exhibition first displayed in Japan and later in Germany.
WHEN:
ABC News - Gunther von Hagens was born on January 10, 1945.
ABC News - He announced in 2010 that he was living with Parkinson’s disease.
ABC News - The "Body Worlds" exhibition was first shown in Japan in 1995 and in Germany in 1997.
ABC News - The "Body Worlds" U.S. debut occurred in Los Angeles in 2004.
ABC News - The "Plastinarium" opened in 2006.
WHY:
ABC News - Von Hagens aimed to help viewers understand how their bodies work through his exhibitions.
ABC News - Critics argued that von Hagens' work bordered on sensationalism.
HOW:
The Guardian - Plastination involves extracting bodily fluids and soluble fat from a dead body and replacing them with resins, silicon rubbers, and epoxies.
ABC News - The plastination process developed by von Hagens prevents decay and allows for the display of preserved corpses and their inner organs.
(UPDATED July 27, 2026 19:28 UTC)
Gunther von Hagens, known for his innovative work in plastination, passed away in a hospital in Heidelberg after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. Born Gunther Gerhard Liebchen in January 1945 in Poland, he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2008. His family has confirmed that his body will be plastinated, fulfilling a long-held wish of his, a process that involves replacing bodily fluids and fats with resins and other materials.
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(UPDATED July 27, 2026 16:00 UTC)
Gunther von Hagens, the German anatomist renowned for his "Body Worlds" exhibitions, has passed away at the age of 81. He was celebrated for developing the plastination process, which preserves human bodies for educational purposes, and his first exhibition debuted in Japan in 1995, later making its way to several American cities. Von Hagens expressed a wish for his own body to be preserved using this technique, leaving behind a legacy that sparked both fascination and controversy in the world of anatomy and art.