(FILES) In this file photo taken on October 4, 2018 German anatomist and inventor of the plastination technique Gunther von Hagens poses in front an artwork entitled 'Rider' during a photo call at the opening of the Body Worlds Museum in London. Gunther von Hagens, the physician and inventor of plastination, has died. His family and the Institute for Plastination announced in Heidelberg on July 27, 2026 that he passed away on July 24, 2026 at the age of 81. Von Hagens was the creator of the 'Body Worlds' exhibitions, which display human anatomy using the plastinated bodies of the deceased. (Photo by Daniel LEAL / AFP via Getty Images)