Historical deaths attributed to laughter
One account of the death of Chrysippus, the third century B.C. Greek stoic philosopher, tells that he died of laughter after giving his donkey wine, then seeing it attempt to feed on figs.[8]
In 1410, King Martin of Aragon died from a combination of indigestion and uncontrollable laughter.[9]
In 1556, Pietro Aretino "is said to have died of suffocation from laughing too much."[10]
In 1660, Thomas Urquhart, the Scottish aristocrat, polymath and first translator of Rabelais into English, is said to have died laughing upon hearing that Charles II had taken the throne.[11][12]
Modern deaths attributed to laughter
On 24 March 1975, Alex Mitchell, from King's Lynn, England, died laughing while watching the "Kung Fu Kapers" episode of The Goodies, featuring a kilt-clad Scotsman with his bagpipes battling a master ofLancastrian martial art "Ecky Thump", who was armed with a black pudding. After twenty-five minutes of continuous laughter, Mitchell finally slumped on the sofa and died from heart failure. His widow later sentThe Goodies a letter thanking them for making Mitchell's final moments of life so pleasant.[13][14][15][16][17]
In 1989, Ole Bentzen, a Danish audiologist, died laughing while watching A Fish Called Wanda. His heart was estimated to have beaten at between250 and 500 beats per minute, before he succumbed to cardiac arrest.[18]
In 2003, Damnoen Saen-um, a Thai ice cream salesman, is reported to have died while laughing in his sleep at the age of 52. His wife was unable to wake him, and he stopped breathing after two minutes of continuous laughter. He is believed to have died of either heart failure or asphyxiation.[13]
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