Authors: Van Gogh died in a shooting accident

Vincent van Gogh died in an shooting accident and not as the result of suicide. That is the claim made by Pulitzer-winning authors Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith in an upcoming biography of the artist.

The book, Van Gogh: The Life, is the result of 10 years of research. Relying on previously untranslated letters belonging to Van Gogh's family, it also features dozens of new photographs. It is set to be published in Britain today.

There is nothing noble or virtuous in suicide, so this is good news for Van Gogh fans.