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Illness and death

In 1955, a mass was found near von Neumann's collarbone, which turned out to be cancer originating in the skeleton, pancreas or prostate. (While there is general agreement that the tumor had metastasised, sources differ on the location of the primary cancer.) The malignancy may have been caused by exposure to radiation at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Father Strittmatter recalled that even after receiving the last rites, von Neumann did not receive much peace or comfort from it, as he remained terrified of death and unable to accept his circumstances. Of his religious views, Von Neumann reportedly said, "So long as there is the possibility of eternal damnation for nonbelievers it is more logical to be a believer at the end," referring to Pascal's wager. He confided to his mother, "There probably has to be a God. Many things are easier to explain if there is than if there isn't."

He died on February 8, 1957, at Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital and was buried at Princeton Cemetery.