How Did Harry Houdini Die? A Look at the Magician's Unexpected Death — and Why His Wife Held a Seance Every Halloween After

Mar. 15, 2025

Illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini the day he performed his famous stunt in which he was submerged in the East River in a crate and escaped in just under a minute on July 7th 1912 in New York City.Photo:Getty

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Harry Houdinimade a career out of defying death — and yet it wasn’t his thrilling escapes from water-filled vessels or skyscraper ledges that caused his untimely demise.

According to theYale University Press, the famed illusionist and escape artist died of a ruptured appendix. However, his mission to debunk mediums, a suspiciously timed punch to the stomach and the holiday he died on led to years of speculation about what really happened.

On Oct. 21, 1926, Houdini began feeling unwell. But he ignored it — as well as an ankle injury he suffered during a previous show — and agreed to meet with a university student named Jocelyn Gordon Whitehead before a performance at the Princess Theatre in Montreal. While backstage, Whitehead asked to test Houdini’s theory that he could withstand any blow to the stomach and then punched Houdini multiple times.

The following week, the illusionist became increasingly ill and developed a 102-degree fever. Houdini eventually agreed to go to the hospital on Oct. 25, where, during an operation, the surgeon saw that his appendix had burst. On Oct. 31, he was dead.

So, how did Harry Houdini die? Here’s everything to know about the escape artist’s death — and if that infamous punch actually caused it.

How did Harry Houdini die?

Hungarian born magician and escapologist Harry Houdini being fitted into an escape proof suit.Getty

The official cause of Houdini’s death was diffuse peritonitis, which is when a burst appendix spills bacteria into the abdominal cavity. Because antibiotics were not available in the early 20th century, this was often a fatal condition.

After the show, Houdini returned to his hotel, where he continued to refuse medical treatment. It wasn’t until his wife, Wilhelmina Beatrice “Bess” Houdini, urged him to go that he was admitted to the hospital. He underwent two operations, one to remove his appendix and the other to introduce a serum into his abdominal cavity to fight the infection. Despite these efforts, he developed sepsis and died on Oct. 31.

When did Harry Houdini die?

According to PBS, Houdini died at 1:26 p.m. on Oct. 31, 1926. Because his death fell on Halloween, many conspiracy theories about ghosts and supernatural forces began circulating.

However, doctors who have looked at the escape artist’s medical records more recently concluded that the two events were unrelated.

Despite these findings, Houdini’s relatives requested that his body be exhumed in 2007 to ensure he wasn’t poisoned, which they came to believe after studying their ancestor’s case. After relatives of Bess opposed the investigation, it appears that the exhumation request was declined.

Who was the man who punched Harry Houdini, Jocelyn Gordon Whitehead?

Harry Houdini showing how to escape handcuffs on February 27th, 1918.Getty

Jocelyn Gordon Whitehead was a student at McGill University in Montreal in 1926. According tothe institution’s website, Houdini visited the school on Oct. 20, 1926, to give a presentation debunking a Boston medium. Afterward, Whitehead and another student visited the magician with the hopes of sketching him.

During that meeting, Whitehead challenged Houdini’s claim that his abdominal muscles could withstand any blow and punched him in the stomach three times without warning. The magician even reportedly asked Whitehead to stop mid-punch because he wasn’t able to brace himself properly.

Charges were never brought against Whitehead, but doctors at the time did believe Houdini’s peritonitis was the result of those punches. According toHISTORY, the magician’s life insurance company even had to pay his wife a double indemnity because his death was reported as accidental.

Though he died 11 days after the punches, a surgeon told theYale University Pressin 2020 that “no causal link has … been found between trauma and appendicitis … and the fact that these two events occurred within days of each other must be seen as coincidence.”

Where did Harry Houdini die?

Harry Houdini, the famous escape artist, relaxes on a bench in Nice, France.Getty

Houdini died in Detroit at Grace Hospital, according to PBS. He was on tour at the time and in the city to perform in front of a sold-out crowd at the Garrick Theatre.

In 2020,Michigan History Magazinerecounted how he struggled through the two-and-a-half-hour show that would be his last. The magician made coins, alarm clocks and even a woman disappear despite battling a 104-degree fever and severe abdominal pain.

Houdini reportedly collapsed after the curtain fell at intermission but still came back for the second half of the show.

How old was Harry Houdini when he died?

Houdini was 52 years old when he died. The escape artist was born on March 24, 1874, in Budapest, Hungary, as Erik Weisz. His family immigrated to the United States when he was 4 years old and changed their last name to Weiss.

What were Harry Houdini’s last words?

Hungarian-American escapologist Harry Houdini with his wife and stage assistant, Bess circa 1922.Getty

According to theLibrary of Congress, the Houdinis made a pact that whoever died first would try to contact the other from beyond the grave. If contact wasn’t made within a decade, then it was proof that communication with the dead was impossible. They even had a code word: “Rosabelle.”

So for the next 10 years, Bess held a séance every Halloween to try to reach her husband. Her last attempt was in 1936, and she later declared that “10 years is long enough to wait for any man.”

How did the public react to Harry Houdini’s death?

Houdini’s funeral was held on Nov. 4, 1926, in Queens, N.Y. According toThe Guardian, over 2,000 people attended to pay their respects — many of whom were shocked that the seemingly invincible performer could die from such ordinary causes.

What legacy did Harry Houdini leave behind?

Hungarian-American escape artist and illusionist, Harry Houdini on a diving board, preparing for a ball and chain pool escape at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, 28th April 1923.Getty

Houdini is generally considered to be one of the greatest escape artists of all time. His name is synonymous with disappearing and is still referenced in popular culture today.

There are three museums dedicated to his life and career — the Houdini Museum in Pennsylvania, The House of Houdini in Hungary and Houdini Revealed in New York — and multiple magic organizations like The Magic Castle in Los Angeles still hold séances in his honor.

source: people.com