Beloved storyteller and Hollywood creator, Walter Elias Disney died December 15, 1966 at age 65. As the internet urban legend tells, a theory of Walt Disney being preserved after death was spread around, convincing some that Disney would be brought back to see the future.
Disney died from a walnut-shaped tumor (later identified as cancerous) in his lungs after receiving a chest x-ray when he had complained about crippling pain in his chest. Prior to his death, his family and staff members had noticed a decline in Disney’s health, realizing his dry hacking coughs, raspy voice, and an overall physical health decline. Disney was then treated through chemotherapy, which could only help him so much, leading him to have his final breaths in St. Joseph’s Hospital in Burbank, California.
Disney’s death was a worldwide shock, devastating many and leaving many wondering who was going to represent their childhood fantasies now. Reporters sought to find the answers for the public trying to drain every last detail into their paper.
One instance, a reporter had entered the hospital where Disney was put to rest and snuck into a storage room for any interesting details. The reporter made it in and claimed to see Disney stored in a metal cylinder being preserved in liquid nitrogen.
Those who knew Disney well, recall his interest in the world of the future. Most heavily interested in future scientific and technological advances, wondering how the human race would continue to survive; inspiring one of his famous park attractions: EPCOT.
