Peter Fenwick, Leading Expert on Near-Death Experiences, Dies at 89

In early 1988, the British neuropsychiatrist Peter Fenwick found himself drowning in letters from people who believed they had survived an encounter with death.

“I slowly floated down a tunnel, not afraid in any way but looking forward to something,” one man wrote to him. “When it came I was absolutely at peace and going towards the most wonderful light. Believe me, it was great. No worries, problems or anything, just wonderful.”

In another letter, a woman described walking down a country lane and coming upon golden gates.

“Inside was the most beautiful garden, no lawn, path or anything else, but flowers of every kind,” she wrote. “Those that attracted me most were Madonna lilies, delphiniums and roses, but there were many, many more.”

The letters were among more than 2,000 that Dr. Fenwick received shortly after he appeared in a BBC documentary, “Glimpses of Death,” in which he commented on the near-death visions of people who had apparently briefly died, or nearly died, and then come back to life.

“These letters were written by people who had never, ever before told anyone about their experiences,” Dr. Fenwick said in a 2012 lecture at TEDxBerlin. “Why? Because they’re too frightened. They told it to their wives or their husbands; they said they weren’t interested. They told it to their friends; they said, ‘You’re mad.’”