The Great Lafayette

AKA:
Man of Mystery
Birth Name:
Sigmund Neuberger
Birth Date:
February 25, 1891
Birth Place:
Munich, Germany
Death Date:
May 9, 1911
Place of Death:
The Empire Palace Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland
Age:
40
Cause of Death:
Theater fire
Cemetery Name:
Piershill Cemetery
Claim to Fame:
Other Entertainers
Sigmund Neuberger (aka The Great Lafayette) was a master illusionist and one of the most highly paid entertainers in the world in his era. Sadly, on May 9, 1911 a devastating fire broke out at the Empire Palace Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. Performing to a sell-out crowd when fire erupted on stage, with the fire safety curtain descending to the front of the stage and all the backstage exits locked to prevent freeloaders, all 3000 members of the audience escaped unharmed. However, those on stage and behind the scenes were less fortunate. The Great Lafayette perished along with 9 members of his troupe, his horse and his lion.

Fun Fact

In an ironic twist of fate, the corpse of The Great Lafayette’s stunt body double was initially mistaken for the magician’s as he was dressed in his satin robe as part of the performance. The remains of the real Lafayette were found the next day under the stage of the wrecked theatre. Huge crowds gathered in Edinburgh to see his funeral procession as it traveled to his final resting place. Lafayette is buried beside his beloved dog Beauty (who passed on just days before the Empire Theatre Fire) in Piershill Cemetery.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Piershill Cemetery

196/8 Piersfield Terrace

Edinburgh, , EH8 7BN

Scotland

Europe

Grave Location Description

Piershill Cemetery is located on Portobello Road between Edinburgh and Portobello Beach. The gravesite is easily recognized. You can spot the white marble headstone about 75 feet from the entrance on a small hill.

Grave Location GPS

55.955456, -3.138747

Photos:

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Read More About The Great Lafayette:

Videos Featuring The Great Lafayette:
The Magician Who Died Twice - A Mini-Documentary
The Great Lafayette | Obsession, Fame, Secrets and a Dog | The Strangest Magician in History
Very rare video showing fireman digging through the Empire Palace Fire
History’s Most Legendary Magicians
The Final Illusion of the Great Lafayette | Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

See More:

Alexander Herrmann

popular name: Alexander Herrmann

date_of_death: December 17, 1896

age: 52

cause_of_death: Heart attack

claim_to_fame: Other Entertainers

best_know_for: Alexander Herrmann was a French magician, better known as Herrmann the Great. He was married to magician Adelaide Herrmann, known as the Queen of Magic. Together, Alexander ("Professor Herrmann" or "Herrmann the Great") and Adelaide entertained audiences with a variety of magic tricks, including escape tricks and the bullet catch trick. Adelaide was a key part of many illusions, performing as a levitating sleeper, a human cannonball, a bicycle rider who carried a girl on her shoulders, and a dancer who spectrally swirled in red silk like a pillar of fire. The Herrmanns toured the United States, Mexico, South America, and Europe.

Chung Ling Soo

popular name: Chung Ling Soo

date_of_death: March 24, 1918

age: 56

cause_of_death: Accidental gunshot wound to the lung during his stage act

claim_to_fame: Other Entertainers

best_know_for: At the beginning of the 20th century, audiences across Europe were wowed by a Chinese magician who drew on ancient Asian mysticism to perform illusions and contact the spirit realm. But he was, in fact, none of these things, as “Chung Ling Soo” was actually William Ellsworth Robinson, an American of Scottish ancestry who built a phony, racist Chinese persona and magic act based directly on that of another magician, Chung Ling Foo (who actually was Chinese). Yet audiences looked past the obvious identity theft as Chung Ling Soo was actually a great magician.

Vernon Castle

popular name: Vernon Castle

date_of_death: 02/15/1918

age: 30

cause_of_death: Airplane crash

claim_to_fame: Other Entertainers

best_know_for: Vernon Castle and his wife Irene Castle were the best known ballroom dancers of the early 20th Century. Beginning about 1914 they operated several clubs and studios in the New York City area, toured the country dancing, and were able to charge as much as a thousand dollars an hour for lessons. They are credited with reviving the popularity of modern dancing. The couple reached the peak of their popularity in Irving Berlin's first Broadway show, Watch Your Step (1914), in which they refined and popularized the Foxtrot. They also helped to promote ragtime, jazz rhythms and African-American music for dance. Irene became a fashion icon through her appearances on stage and in early movies, and both Castles were in demand as teachers and writers on dance.

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