Zoltan Kovesy hurtling downwards to the pavement. The young composer tried to commit suicide by throwing himself from the third floor of the apartment house in which he lived in Budapest. Other tenants stood terrified and helpless as Kovesy pleaded with them not to prevent him taking his life, but one Lazzlo Horvath, a boxer's trainer, made a desperate grab at Kovesy's clothing as he left the balcony. Horvath was unable to hold on, however, and Kovesy plunged downwards. He was taken to hospital in a serious condition. 21 August 1939