When New York-based artist Shusaku Arakawa died in May 2010 at the age of 73, it caused a sensation — not only because of his influence on many creators, scientists and philosophers, but also because of the gaping contradiction his passing left behind.

For decades, the internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning artist, along with his partner Madeline Gins, had strongly promoted the idea of their immortality, declaring that they "have decided not to die." They even called it "immoral" for people to have to die. In recent years in particular, the duo created a series of off-the-wall houses/structures that they claimed would help people achieve longevity.

Little has been made public about the cause of Arakawa's death, except for the fact that he died at a Manhattan hospital where he had been an in-patient for a week.