J. Gordon Whitehead
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Jocelyn Gordon Whitehead (died 1954) is infamous as the man who sucker-punched magician Harry Houdini in the stomach on October 22 1926. Despite popular belief, the appendicitis and not the blow was the cause of Houdini's death -- although the pain inflicted by the blows may have masked the pain of the appendicitis, preventing the performer from seeking treatment until nine days later.
At the time of this incident, Whitehead had been a McGill University student in Montreal. Despite the fact that there were witnesses to the event, Whitehead was never arrested. He himself had to submit an affidavit to the New York Life Insurance Company, who needed proof of the incident in order for Houdini's widow, Bess Houdini, to collect money under the double indemnity clause.
Whitehead remained obscure, until writer Don Bell began his own investigation into Houdini's death. His findings were published in the 2004 book "The Man Who Killed Houdini" (Véhicule Press, Montreal), in which the only known photograph of Whitehead exists. Through interviews with people who knew Whitehead, Bell established that Whitehead lived a life of failure and pathos, despite having attended the prestigious McGill University. Whitehead died of malnutrition in 1954. He is buried in the Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal.
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