Tragic Details About The Marx Brothers

Long considered a myth, even among members of the family, rumors of a sixth Marx brother were finally confirmed by Maxine Marx, daughter of eldest brother Chico, in her 1983 book Growing Up With Chico. Manfred Marx, nicknamed "Mannie," was the firstborn son of parents Sam and Minnie Marx. Surviving for only seven months, Manfred died on July 17, 1886. Although it was long assumed that the firstborn Marx brother passed of tuberculosis, asthenia and entero-colitis, complications which probably arose from influenza, are cited as the actual causes of death. Manfred Marx is buried beside his maternal grandmother, Fanny Schoenberg, in New York's Washington Cemetery. 

Manfred's death had a profound effect on Sam and Minnie Marx which would translate into the mourning parents lavishing eldest surviving son Leonard, better known by his stage name Chico, with love and attention. Baby Manfred's sickness would also instill a heightened sense of parental vigilance in the Marxes. According to the website Marx-Brothers.org, Groucho Marx once recalled his mother saying, "Sam can cough all night and I never hear him, but if one of my boys coughs just once, I'm wide awake." 

In memory of their lost child, Sam and Minnie Marx would bestow their youngest son Herbert, known to Marx Brothers fans as "Zeppo," with the middle name Manfred.  

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