Nearly two centuries after the death of Ludwig van Beethoven, scientists have uncovered new insights into the composer’s health, illnesses, and family background by analyzing DNA extracted from his hair.
An international team led by biochemist Johannes Krause of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology published the findings in Current Biology.
Genetic analysis suggests that Beethoven likely died from complications related to hepatitis B, combined with long-standing liver problems and alcohol abuse. His final symptoms — jaundice, abdominal swelling, edema, and respiratory difficulties — are consistent with advanced liver disease. However, researchers were unable to identify a clear genetic cause for his progressive deafness or chronic abdominal pain.
A striking revelation came from Beethoven’s Y chromosome. Comparison of the composer’s DNA with that of living male relatives showed no matches, indicating an instance of extramarital paternity in Beethoven’s paternal lineage sometime between the 16th and 18th centuries.
According to the researchers, this discovery not only sheds light on the great composer’s genealogy but also demonstrates the power of molecular biology in exploring historical mysteries. Authentic locks of Beethoven’s hair, preserved by his friends after his death in 1827, helped uncover secrets hidden for more than 200 years.
“For a musician, there is nothing more ironic: a man who created the greatest works of music lived in silence — and now, two centuries later, opens a new era in the science of life and death,” Krause remarked.
