The brain tumor of George Gershwin and the legs of Cole Porter.

George Gershwin died in 1937 of a glioblastoma of the right temporal lobe. He had been in psychoanalytical care for some time and was hospitalized a few weeks before his death, when he was thought to have a functional illness. The controversies about George Gershwin's death, duration of neurologic symptoms, and problems in diagnosis are discussed. Cole Porter fell off a horse he was riding in 1937 and sustained multiple open fractures of both legs. There probably was some nerve injury in the right leg, at least, from this fall. Despite intensive pain, many hospitalizations, and 33 operations on his legs, Porter continued to write music and lyrics until his amputation in 1958. After the amputation, all creative activities ceased. The explanations for this are discussed.