'Dr Death' Gunther von Hagens, the controversial inventor of plastination, passes away

German anatomist and 'Body Worlds' creator Gunther von Hagens, who invented plastination (a technique to preserve body parts), has passed away at the age of 81, his family announced. Also known as 'Dr Death', he performed UK's first public autopsy in over 170 years in 2002 on camera. He courted controversy over his public displays of preserved human remains.