Harry Houdini Died in Detroit 100 Years Ago This Halloween

October 2026 marks exactly 100 years since Harry Houdini, the world's most celebrated escape artist, performed his last show at the Garrick Theatre in Detroit on 24 October 1926, then died one week later on Halloween at Grace Hospital. He was 52 years old, and the cause of death was peritonitis from a ruptured appendix.

The fatal injury traced back to a Montreal performance on 22 October, when a McGill University student punched Houdini in the abdomen before he had the chance to tighten his stomach muscles. Despite arriving in Detroit with a 104°F fever and a diagnosis of acute appendicitis, Houdini refused treatment and completed his two-and-a-half-hour "3 Shows In One" revue, vowing, "I'll do this show if it's my last." His reported last words were, "I'm tired of fighting."

Born Erik Weisz in Budapest, Houdini came to the United States at age four and mastered elaborate escapes from straitjackets, water-filled tanks, and chains, becoming the most famous magician in the world. His grave at Machpelah Cemetery in Queens, New York, features a large granite semicircle with a bust, and draws fans and Halloween pilgrims each year — though the cemetery closes on 31 October, preventing visits on the actual anniversary.

In the decade after his death, his widow Bess held annual séances in hopes he would make contact from beyond the grave. The final official séance took place in 1936 at the Los Angeles Knickerbocker Hotel, where Bess extinguished a candle beside his photograph, declaring, "Ten years is long enough to wait for any man."