Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Will Houdini's Body Be Exhumed In Queens?
By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 28, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 28, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Harry Houdini's funeral was held on November 4, 1926, in New York, with over two thousand mourners in attendance. He was buried at the Machpelah Cemetery in Queens where the crest of the Society of American Magicians is inscribed on his grave site. To this day, that Society holds their "Broken Wand" ceremony at the grave site on the anniversary of his death. With a new biography called “The Secret Life of Houdini” that came out late last year, and which in part questions the real reason for Harry Houdini's death, some people are calling for the body to be exhumed. Others are calling this a publicity stunt.
Some of Houdini's descendants, the authors of the book and some notable forensic pathologists have been attempting to get permission to exhume the body in order to search for evidence of poisoning. Dr. Michael Baden, who was prominently involved in re-investigating the deaths of JFK and Martin Luther King Jr., pointed out that in Houdini's death certificate, it noted his appendix was on the left side, rather than the right. He was said to have died of peritonitis from a ruptured appendix, though a couple of days earlier he was attacked in his dressing room and his insurance company determined the blows he received during that attack were the cause of his death. The poisoning was also something many thought to be the case, something that could have been attempted by a psychic group called the Spiritualists - as he had tried to debunk their work.
There are many family members against exhuming his body, however. The grandnephews of Houdini's wife Bess, John and Jeffrey Blood, stated: "It is our firm belief that Bess Houdini would never approve of this. The family believes this is likely being done to promote sales of a recent book on Harry Houdini suggesting he may have been murdered." Seems like this battle will go on for a while, at least long enough to sell a few more copies of the book.
Photo from 1010Wins.
Tagged
cemetery
death
JFK
Jr.
Martin Luther
martin luther king
martin luther king jr
Michael Baden
new york
News: NYC
people
publicity
queens
Secret Life
The Secret
The Secret Life
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .