Gunther von Hagens, the German anatomist behind the "Body Worlds" exhibition, has died at 81. Von Hagens developed the plastination process in the 1970s, replacing body fluids with liquid plastic to preserve corpses for display. The technique prevented decay and allowed posed anatomical exhibits.

"Body Worlds" debuted in Japan in 1995 and drew millions worldwide, though critics including Rev. Ernst Pulsfort and Dr. Michael Wilkes condemned it as sensationalism and disrespectful. In 2002, von Hagens performed Britain's first public autopsy in 170 years in London, defying legal warnings.

Born Gunther Liebchen in 1945 in present-day Poland, he studied medicine in East Germany, attempted to flee, and was freed after West Germany bought his release in 1970. He continued at Heidelberg University, married classmate Cornelia von Hagens, and later wed Angelina Whalley, who now heads the Institute for Plastination.

The Plastinarium opened in Guben in 2006. Von Hagens, who had Parkinson's disease since 2010, wished for his own body to be plastinated, a request his family will honor.