Welcome! Check out today's deaths, recent deaths, or our deaths stats.

Feeling experimental? Head on over to our newest (and darkest) feature: Next-2-Die™ predictions

Lili Elbe

Danish painter and transgender woman (1882–1931).

Born December 28th, 1882 in Vejle. [ref]

Died September 13th, 1931 at 48 years old in Dresden (complication). [ref]

Occupations
painter
Wikipedia

Lili Elbe, an artist and pioneering transgender woman, passed away on September 13, 1931, at the age of 48. Elbe, born in Denmark in 1882, underwent a series of groundbreaking gender confirmation surgeries in the 1930s. She was believed to be one of the first people in history to proceed with such medical interventions, which earned her international media attention and a remarkable place in history. Elbe is survived by her beloved wife, Gerda Gottlieb, whom she married in 1904. During her lifetime, Elbe worked as a fine artist, dressing in both traditionally masculine and feminine attire and creating drawings and paintings. Lili Elbe will be remembered for her courageous spirit, resilience, and commitment to self-expression in the face of tremendous adversity.

That’s what literature is. It’s the people who went before us, tapping out messages from the past, from beyond the grave, trying to tell us about life and death! Listen to them! Connie Willis