title: A beautiful stroke? A side note on the 75th anniversary of the spectacular death of the French organist and composer Louis Vierne (1870-1937).
abstract: The great French organist and composer Louis Vierne (1870-1937) died while performing an organ recital at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris - right in front of the console. This historical article provides insights into the biography of a highly talented musician who was challenged by disability and diseases throughout his career. A special focus is placed on the circumstances of Vierne's remarkable death. Until now, both a primary cerebrovascular event and a 'heart attack' are discussed in reference books and encyclopedias as the immanent causes of death. From the perspective of a stroke neurologist, a reappraisal of Vierne's medical history and the events that happened during his last concert is presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Goethe University, DE–60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. foerch@em.uni-frankfurt.de
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Foerch
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lemercier
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Hennerici
mesh_terms: D001766:Blindness / Q000150:complications; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000266:history; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009146:Music; D010297:Paris; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000266:history*