Pygmania

Historical deaths attributed to laughter One account of the death of  Chrysippus , the third century B.C.  Greek   stoic  philosopher, tells that he died of laughter after giving his  donkey  wine, then seeing it attempt to feed on  figs . [8] In 1410, King  Martin of Aragon  died from a combination of  indigestion  and uncontrollable laughter. [9] In 1556,  Pietro Aretino  "is said to have died of suffocation from laughing too much." [10] In 1660,  Thomas Urquhart , the  Scottish  aristocrat,  polymath  and first translator of  Rabelais  into English, is said to have died laughing upon hearing that  Charles II  had taken the throne. [11] [12] Modern deaths attributed to laughter On 24 March 1975, Alex Mitchell, from  King's Lynn ,  England , died laughing while watching the " Kung Fu Kapers " episode of  The Goodies , featuring a  kilt -clad  Scotsman  with his  bagpipes  battling a master of Lancastrian   martial art  "Ecky Thump",