The Happiness in Humor Podcast

In the cutthroat world of magicians and mediums, Harry Houdini made enemies.

He  had racked up so much ill will by the time of his mysterious death, in  fact, that some people suspected he had been poisoned by psychics whose  claims he regularly debunked.

The cause of Houdini’s death — on this day, Halloween, in 1926 — was officially a combination of appendicitis and peritonitis,  an infection of the abdominal lining. But its onset was swift and  surprising in the otherwise healthy 52-year-old, known for superhuman  strength and the ability to escape every tight spot he had ever found  himself in — including being buried alive, one of four “close-ups with  death” of his career, according to a New York Times story. 

The Times reported on the bizarre string of events that led up  to the fatal infection, including a barrage of gut punches from a  college student who wanted to test the strength of Houdini’s stomach  muscles. Although a doctor told him that his appendix had likely  ruptured, Houdini performed in a scheduled show rather than undergo immediate surgery, his obituary reveals.

A theory soon emerged that his death was no accident, however, and the rumor stuck. As recently as 2008, Houdini’s grandnephew sought permission to exhume his body and test for poison, noting that the outspoken magician had given many people motive for murder.

Source:

Latson, Jennifer. "Who'd Want To Murder Harry Houdini."  Time USA. 31 October 2014.  https://time.com/3537452/houdini-1926/#:~:text=The%20cause%20of%20Houdini%E2%80%99s%20death%20%E2%80%94%20on%20this,and%20peritonitis%2C%20an%20infection%20of%20the%20abdominal%20lining.