Hoarding & the Lifehack: Langley Collyer

Langley Collyer (1885-1947) was a notorious recluse who lived with his brother Homer in a dilapidated townhouse in New York City. When Homer went blind in 1933, Langley began to hoard magazines and newspapers for the day his brother could see again. Langley knew Homer would want to “catch up on the news.”

Langley was crushed in an avalanche of newspaper bundles while bringing his brother a tray of food. His partially decomposed body was found just ten feet away from the rocking chair where Homer eventually starved to death.