
A picture titled “At the bottom of the Empire State Building the body of Evelyn McHale rests calmly in a grotesque bier, her falling body punched into the top of a car.” published on page 43 of Life Magazine on May 12, 1947, attracted worldwide attention.
A student studying photography captured the photo, which was named as the world’s most ‘beautiful’ suicide. The dead body of 23-year-old Evelyn McHale, who jumped from 86 floors and killed herself, was seen lying peacefully on a limousine.
Born in Berkeley on September 20, 1923, Evelyn was the sixth of seven children. Evelyn’s parents were Vincent and Helen. In 1930, Evelyn’s family moved to Washington due to Vincent’s job. A few years later, Evelyn’s mother, Helen, left home. Her mother is said to have suffered from mental illness. Vincent then took his seven children and moved to Tuckahoe, US after her mother left them. Evelyn was educated in a school there.
After completing her degree, Evelyn worked for a while in the Missouri office of the Women’s Army Corps and later left, burning her uniforms. Returning to New York, Evelyn lived with her brother and his wife. In the meantime, Evelyn found a job as a bookkeeper and worked there. During that time, she fell in love with Barry, a former airline worker, and they soon became engaged.
Wedding
However, in 1946, Evelyn, who attended Barry’s brother’s wedding ceremony as a bridesmaid, burns her dress at the end of the wedding ceremony, saying that she never wanted to see those clothes again. Just as she left the army camp before with her uniform set on fire.
On April 30, 1947, Evelyn left New York by train to meet her lover again. It was to celebrate his 24th birthday. Evelyn’s boyfriend ‘Barry’ has said that everything went happily that day and he said goodbye to Evelyn at Penn Station the next morning at around 7 a.m. Their wedding was already planned for a month later in June at Barry’s brother’s house. Barry said goodbye to Evelyn at 7 a.m. and Evelyn committed suicide at 10.40 a.m. that morning. Evelyn wrote a note before committing suicide.
“I don’t want my family or anyone else to see even a small part of my body. Can you burn my body? I don’t want any funeral or memorial service. And my boyfriend asked me if I would like to marry him in June but I don’t think so. I don’t think I can ever be a good wife to anyone. He will live very well without me. And tell my father, I had more than enough of my mother’s traits.”
Evelyn put the short note in her coat pocket and stepped to the Empire State Building in the US around 10:30 a.m. The Empire State Building, which was then known as the tallest building in the world, was used by many people as a place to commit suicide.
In 1947, Evelyn’s death was recorded as the fifth suicide from the Empire Building within three weeks. Since 1931, for nearly 40 years, the Empire State Building, which held the title of the tallest building in the world, is being guarded on the observation floor to prevent people from committing suicide.
Evelyn climbed to the Empire State’s 86th floor observation deck where she took off her coat and jumped to death. It was 10.40 a.m. on May1, 1941. She fell onto a limousine parked in the street below. Robert C. Wills who was a student of photography and was nearby saw Evelyn’s body lying on the limousine.
Photo
Due to the collision, the upper part of the limousine and the windows of the vehicle had been shattered. Minutes after the fall, Robert captured Evelyn in a photo.
Critics have said that Evelyn’s dead body, which was lying on the roof of the car, reflected the serenity of a terrible death. Even though Evelyn died, her beauty was still there in the photo taken by Robert, which was published in the newspapers at that time. In a pocket of Evelyn’s gray coat, police officers found a notebook, several dollars, a note written before her death, a beauty kit and a family photo.
After identifying Evelyn’s body, Evelyn’s sister carried out the last rites according to her wishes. Her body was cremated without a grave and no memorial was held in her name.