Article Walt Disney Frozen
Summary: According to rumor, Walt Disney’s cryogenically preserved body is kept in a tank under Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride.
Posted by: Elliot Feldman
Walt Disney Walt Disney died on December 15, 1966, but a rumor has long persisted that his body was cryogenically frozen and is held in storage under Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride, ready for the day when science will come up with the cure for lung cancer. The origin of this urban legend, so far, is unknown.
In reality, Disney’s body was cremated soon after his death. Legal documents exist that indicate that his ashes were interred two days after his cremation in a marked vault at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California. The first instance of cryonic preservation occurred a full year after his death.
Some have accused two Disney biographies of perpetuating the rumor that he was frozen: Disney’s World by Robert Mosley (1986) and Walt Disney – Hollywood’s Dark Prince by Marc Eliot (1993). Both claim that Disney did know of cryonics and had a strong interest in the science.
Cryonics
Would Disney have known, at the time, of the fairly new technology of Cryonics? Theories and research had certainly occurred during his lifetime. In 1964, two years before Disney’s demise, Robert C.W. Ettinger’s book The Prospect of Immortality first popularized this technology.
In 1967, one year after Disney’s death, James Bedford became the first person whose body was cryogenically preserved. Baseball great Ted Williams was the most famous person to be cryogenically preserved. According to the Cryonics Institute, famous people who have publicly expressed an interest in cryogenic preservation have included talk show host Larry King, boxing legend Muhammad Ali, science fiction master Arthur C. Clarke, and National Book Award-winning author Gore Vidal.
Alcor
According to Alcor, the Life Extension Institute, as of 2002, more than a hundred people have been frozen since James Bedford in 1967. They also claim that 1,000 people worldwide have made financial and legal arrangements with Alcor to be cryogenically preserved. As of 2008, Alcor charges $80,000 to preserve a person’s brain (AKA neuro-preservation) and $150,000 to preserve a whole body—in addition to annual dues. When all of a deceased member’s living relatives are gone, continuing payment can be assured upfront through a “Patient Care Trust Fund.” This is a legal and financial investment arrangement with Alcor.
Ettinger
As for Robert C.W. Ettinger’s Cryonics Institute, it has 718 members, 85 “Human Patients in Cryostasis”, and 52 “Pets in Cryostasis.” On their web site, they also advertise much lower prices than Alcor and other such services.
References
- Cryonics.org
- Feldman, Elliot. (May 18, 2007). “Ted Williams’ Tragic Life After Death”. Associated Content.