Dr. Gunther von Hagens, Inventor of Plastination & Creator of BODY WORLDS, Has Passed Away27.7.2026 14:31:59 CEST | news aktuell GmbH | Press release
Heidelberg/Germany, July 27, 2026—It is with deep sadness that the family and the Institute for Plastination announce the passing of Dr. Gunther von Hagens, inventor of Plastination and creator of the BODY WORLDS exhibitions. He died on July 24, 2026, at the age of 81. Gunther von Hagens fundamentally transformed the field of anatomy. Through Plastination—the preservation technique he invented in 1977—he created an entirely new perspective of the human body for medical education, science and the general public. He made the complexity, vulnerability and beauty of the human body—previously reserved for the dissection room and anatomical textbooks –directly accessible to the wider public. Together with his wife and curator, Dr. Angelina Whalley, Gunther von Hagens created BODY WORLDS, one of the most successful exhibitions in the world. Since its debut, the exhibition has been visited by more than 58 million people. BODY WORLDS made anatomy publicly accessible, encouraged reflection on h