Ed Gein's Cause of Death: How & When Did 'Butcher of Plainfield' Die?

Ed Gein was a real serial murderer who lived on a farm in Plainfield, WI, in the 1950s. He confessed to murdering two local women, and authorities discovered a house of horrors, including lampshades made of human skin.

The judge assigned to his case, Robert H. Gollmar, outlined the horrors, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society:

• "A bachelor, he lived a somewhat hermit-like existence on a lonely and isolated farm."
• "A mild, meek appearing little man; no one suspected him of murder until a number of people disappeared."
• "A search of his farm uncovered bodies and parts of bodies. Among his other abilities, Gein was a taxidermist. Probably this led to his interesting hobby -- he made chairs and lamp shades out of human skin which he carefully tanned for that purpose."

But how, where and when did Gein himself die? What was his cause of death?

Ed Gein's Cause of Death Was Revealed in His Obituary in 1984

According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, "Initially declared insane, he was found fit to stand trial in 1968 and convicted by Judge Gollmar; he spent the remainder of his life at the Mendota Mental Health Institute near Madison."

Gein's obituary can be found in a July 27, 1984, story by UPI, a wire service.

It says the following:

Gein died on July 26, 1984 in a "mental institution" in Wisconsin.

He was 77 years old when he died, and he was described in the story as a "handyman," grave robber, and "confessed killer" who was the inspiration for the movie Psycho.

State officials told UPI that Gein had been suffering from cancer. His cause of death was given as respiratory failure.

serial killer ed gein being led away by police after his arrest in 1957. pic.twitter.com/Wbt9VEG61w

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"Gein admitted he killed and butchered two women and looted the graves of about a dozen more in moonlight forays into cemeteries," the obituary says. "He was diagnosed as a chronic schizophrenic."

The article confirms that, because he was found mentally incompetent, Gein was technically never convicted of the crimes.

"He spent the rest of his life in mental institutions," according to the UPI obit.

Serial killer Ed Gein at the Mendota Mental Hospital, in 1984, shortly before his death. He killed at least two people but is suspected of killing many more. pic.twitter.com/IH9xg2wgd4

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A 1984 obituary for Gein in Newsday similarly says that he died of "respiratory disease," and adds that Gein horrifically used hair to make bracelets and clothing and turned human skin into lampshades and "death masks." Authorities even discovered a human heart in a pot, according to the Newsday obituary for Gein.

Ed Gein Was Described as 'Industrious' During His Time at the Mental Institution in Wisconsin

A state official told Newsday that, while at the mental institution, Gein did not cause trouble. Rather, he was described as "industrious" and quiet, working as a gardener, mason, and on other jobs.

"Gein lived on a farm with his mother in the tiny Wisconsin hamlet of Plainfield," the article noted. "When she died in 1945, Gein became withdrawn and lonely. But the townsfolk considered him harmless and even hired him as a babysitter."

There was actually a hearing to consider releasing Gein at one point, UPI reported, but release was eventually denied out of concern he would become an "object of ridicule."

Gein told authorities that "he killed some of the dead women because they resembled his mother," UPI reported. Psychiatrists described him as having an "abnormal love" for her, the story says.

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