![]() ![]() His assistant even charged his fans 10 cents each to view his body and poke it with needles to confirm that he was, in fact, dead. Sadly, Rucker died of a heart attack during his final performance in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 17, 1934. Then, after a week or so of curious locals stopping by to pay their respects, he'd be magically resurrected. ![]() Rucker would set up "Black Herman's Private Graveyard" at various tour stops and slip out of the coffin prior to burial. His most popular trick was being buried alive. He also performed lots of tricks that celebrated African heritage, many of which were supposedly taught to him by "Zulu witch doctors." He took the name "Black Herman" and advocated for the rights of African-Americans throughout his career. Prince Herman died when Rucker was only 17, but he continued to tour and eventually dropped the "medicinal" portion of the show. He died there on Halloween, but historians still debate whether it was the student's punches that did him in, or peritonitis, or a combination of the two. He barely made it through the show, and his wife finally convinced him to go a nearby hospital. After two sleepless nights, he performed one final time on October 24 in Detroit. The legendary magician still performed that evening as planned at Montreal's Princess Theatre, but he was suffering badly. Houdini was also recovering from a broken ankle, which certainly didn't help matters. Before he could properly prepare for the trick, though, one of the students punched him four times. One asked Houdini if he could really withstand any heavy blow to his abdomen, as he'd often professed. ![]() According to Houdini: His Life and Art, the seemingly superhuman magician was looking through his mail in a dressing room on the afternoon of October 22 when two college students asked to speak with him. Sadly, Houdini's life came to an end after a nasty encounter with something far less thrilling. ![]()
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