Real reason Beethoven died revealed after analysis of composer’s hair

BEETHOVEN boozed himself to death, according to detailed analysis of the composer’s hair.

It revealed the German genius, who died aged 56 nearly 200 years ago, had a genetically high risk of liver disease.

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Beethoven probably drank himself to death, a study found[/caption]

PA

A new analysis of 200-year-old locks of the German composer’s hair reveal a high risk of liver disease was in his genes[/caption]

He was rumoured to regularly down bottles of wine, and became riddled with health problems, including going deaf in his 20s.

A DNA study of five of his locks revealed a heightened liver risk and a hepatitis B infection before his death in Vienna in 1827.

Cambridge University PhD student Tristan Begg said: “It was some combination of these factors, including his alcohol consumption, that killed Beethoven.”

The study failed to find a cause of his hearing loss or long-term stomach pains.

Ludwig van Beethoven’s works include 1801’s Moonlight Sonata.  He was a huge influence on fellow composers Johannes Brahms and Franz Liszt.

Liver failure was a killer in the 19th century, and around 7,700 people per year still die from it in Britain.