9 People Who Died Laughing

1. CALCHAS (Greek soothsayer, c. 12th century BC)

Calchas, the wisest soothsayer of Greece during the Trojan War, advised the construction of the notorious wooden horse. One day he was planting grapevines when a fellow soothsayer wandered by and foretold that Calchas would never drink the wine produced from the grapes. After the grapes ripened, wine was made from them, and Calchas invited the soothsayer to share it with him. As Calchas held a cup of the wine in his hand, the soothsayer repeated the prophecy. This incited such a fit of laughter in Calchas that he choked and died. Another version of Calchas' death states that he died of grief after losing a soothsaying match in which he failed to predict correctly the number of piglets that a pig was about to give birth to.

2. ZEUXIS (Greek painter, 5th century BC)

It is said that Zeuxis was laughing at a painting of an old woman that he had just completed when his breathing failed and he choked to death.

3. PHILEMON (Greek poet, c.236-263)

This writer of comedies became so engulfed in laughter over a jest he had made that he died laughing.

4. CHRYSIPPUS (Greek philosopher, 3rd century BC)

Chrysippus is said to have died from a fit of laughter on seeing a donkey eat some figs.

5. PIETRO ARETINO (Italian author, 1492-1556)

Aretino was laughing at a bawdy story being told to him by his sister when he fell backwards in his chair and died of apoplexy.

6. THOMAS URQUHART (Scottish writer and translator, 1611-60)

Best known for his translation into English of Rabelais' Gargantua, the eccentric Sir Thomas Urquhart is said to have died laughing upon hearing of the restoration to the throne of Charles II.

7. MRS FITZHERBERT (English widow, d.1782)

On a Wednesday evening in April 1782, Mrs Fitzherbert of Northamptonshire went to Drury Lane Theatre with friends to see The Beggar's Opera. When the popular actor Mr Bannister made his first appearance, dressed outlandishly in the role of `Polly', the entire audience was thrown into uproarious laughter. Unfortunately, Mrs Fitzherbert was unable to suppress the laugh that seized her, and she was forced to leave the theatre before the end of the second act. As the Gentleman's Magazine reported the following week: `Not being able to banish the figure from her memory, she was thrown into hysterics, which continued without intermission until she expired on Friday morning.'

8. ALEX MITCHELL (English bricklayer, 1925-75)

Mr and Mrs Mitchell of Brockley Green, Fairstead Estate, King's Lynn, were watching their favourite TV comedy, The Goodies. During a scene about a new type of self-defence called `Ecky Thump', Mr Mitchell was seized by uncontrolled laughter. After half an hour of unrestrained mirth, he suffered a heart attack and died. His wife, Nessie, wrote to The Goodies thanking them for making her husband's last moments so happy.

9. OLE BENTZEN (Danish physician, d.1989)

An audiologist who specialised in developing hearing aids for underdeveloped countries, Bentzen went to see the film A Fish Called Wanda. During a scene featuring John Cleese, Bentzen began laughing so hard that his heartbeat accelerated to a rate of between 250 and 500 beats a minute and he was seized by a heart attack and died.

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