Famous Authors Whose Unusual Deaths Could Be Straight From A Novel

Modern audiences will be familiar with Poe’s work through contemporary references, not least in the Netflix series Wednesday. The author of The Raven, The Fall of the House of Usher and other chilling tales passed away aged just 40. Poe was discovered in a truly sorry state outside a Baltimore public house on Election Day, October 3, 1849: he died a few days later. It was a strange business indeed.

According to Smithsonian magazine, the eminent author was found confused, clad in second-hand clothes, and not where he was supposed to be at all. Hallucinating and calling out for a mystery figure named “Reynolds,” he died from causes unknown. Did he have a brain tumor? Had he been forced to participate in voter fraud? The plot thickens: vital evidence, such as the all-important death certificate, has apparently vanished.

Williams was best known for his iconic stage works, such as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ and A Streetcar Named Desire. Though he struggled with serious issues during his life, his death at 71 appears to have happened through a tragic accident. The author was found asphyxiated with a bottle cap in his throat and was pronounced deceased on February 25, 1983.

As referred to in reports, the cap belonged either to an eye drop or nasal spray bottle. Further investigation revealed that Williams had placed barbiturates in the cap. Using this as a makeshift pill holder, he’d then tipped the whole thing into his mouth. Some speculate that drink played a part, with an empty wine bottle found at the scene. It was both messy and mysterious. 

The death of our next author took place in Ancient Greece: a period in history where you needed to watch your back when it came to wildlife! As depicted in ‘The Death of Aeschylus’ by Tobias Verhaecht, a piece copied by Pieter Houck in the 17th century, the 67-year-old subject sits by the water. A seemingly harmless eagle dangles a tortoise over the scribe’s head. 

What follows is surely the ultimate insult to bald men everywhere. The eagle is said to have looked down on Aeschylus’ head and thought, “Great, a rock. I can use it to crack this tortoise!” We should add this summary is not translated from the original Greek! The morsel in a hard shell was dropped; it promptly struck the author on the head and ended his life.  

Known for his stirring poetry, not to mention his relationship with Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, this eye-catching author frequently explored matters of the heart. So perhaps it was only fitting that he died aged 29 with a bizarre footnote. Things were about to get intense, and a little icky. Having drowned in the Mediterranean on July 8, 1822, it seemed his heart really did go on.

Most of him burned during cremation, except for one thing. Did Shelley’s heart actually refuse to catch fire? Quite possibly, but did this happen through supernatural causes? We’re guessing not. Website Mental Floss highlighted expert opinion that the heart had been calcified as a result of tuberculosis. In other words, it had hardened due to high calcium salt levels. Toasted or not, Mary kept hold of the heart and treasured it always.

Best-known for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain is an iconic author. So perhaps it should come as no surprise to learn that he died in a fascinating way, too. He lasted till the age of 74, when his heart gave out. Yet he amazed his fans by foreseeing his own demise. Kind of. Twain thought cosmic forces were behind this dramatic prediction.

The year of Twain’s birth saw Halley’s Comet enter the Solar System. Quoted in 2012’s Mark Twain at your Fingertips, he said it would be the “greatest disappointment” if his death didn’t coincide with the comet coming back. “It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it,” he said in 1909. The rock was indeed within range when he passed on April 21, 1910.

Anderson is probably one of the more obscure names on this rundown; his death was similarly out of left field. The acclaimed writer of short-story collection Winesburg, Ohio and others passed away on vacation. As mentioned by website Bustle, he first experienced stomach pains. Was it something he ate? You could say that, though what killed him was a little unexpected. 

Readers of a nervous disposition should probably look away now. Somehow, Anderson had swallowed a toothpick! This was believed to have come from a cocktail, or similar drink. However the ingested error had occurred, the sharp object caused serious internal damage. The unfortunate author passed away from peritonitis whilst on a cruise. He died in Panama, at 64 years of age, on March 8, 1941.    

Brown entertained generations of children with her classic illustrated books Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. Yet the woman herself reportedly lived a less straightforward existence behind the scenes. It would all end for her in a French hospital on November 13, 1952; the scenario sounds like the stuff of fiction. Tragically, Brown was aged just 42 when her surprising demise took place.

Set to marry her younger partner, Brown was traveling in Europe when a medical emergency occurred. Magazine The New Yorker recounted that an operation was needed, for either an ovarian cyst or swollen appendix. Her recovery seemed to go well. Yet when she decided to do a high kick for some nuns, a blood clot came loose: it headed for her brain and killed her off.  

This eminent poet didn’t exactly die in the first flush of youth. But a flush was possibly involved, as his unusual exit featured a toilet. Also known as the First Baron Brooke, Greville relied on servants to perform menial tasks; doing his trousers up was just such a role. The lucky individual on button duty was one Ralph Haywood, who wasn’t happy about it.

According to an historic letter, detailed by the Our Warwickshire website, Haywood brutally stabbed his master after he’d concluded his business. Greville suffered two blows to the left side. Doctors at the time figured that animal fat would help heal his wounds. Far from it: the fat deteriorated and led to gangrene. The baron shuffled off this mortal coil on September 30, 1628, aged 70.

If you’re after a meaty subject, look at what happened to Bacon. We’re not just enjoying a terrible play on words: chicken was on the menu for his death at 65, though in a truly unexpected way. This famous essayist didn’t eat the bird: instead, he performed an experiment on it. Unfortunately he chose the wrong day for a poultry-fueled outdoor excursion. 

The London Remembers website described how Bacon was seized by a scientific urge. En route to Highgate in London, he saw the capital was blanketed in white. So naturally he decided to buy a dead hen and pack it with snow to see how it lasted! Sadly he also packed his system with a cold, passing away from bronchitis on April 9, 1626. 

His name may not be too familiar, but you’ll no doubt have heard of Alighieri’s poem ‘La divina commedia’, a.k.a. The Divine Comedy. He honed his craft bringing the worlds of Heaven and Hell to life. Of course, we don’t know in which direction he went following his own demise, yet the manner of it was memorable. Malaria killed him, as per website The Daily Beast. So far, so ordinary: but there’s a twist coming.

He died in the city of Ravenna during mid-September. Alighieri was supposed to go home to his birthplace in Florence, but this didn’t happen. Friars then defied the Pope’s wishes for a homecoming 200 years later, instead concealing what was left of the 50-something Alighieri in the walls of a monastery. Another fan was Mussolini, who also wanted the remains for himself.

Hailing from Italy, Aretino was best-known for telling truth to power through words. On a less sophisticated note, website History Collection refers to him as “The Father of Modern Literary Pornography”. Apparently Aretino the satirist liked a laugh, but even he must have thought that one particular joke had gone too far. How so? Well, it had hilarious, yet fatal, consequences.

On October 21, 1556, Aretino was at a party in Venice with his sister. She cracked a funny; he found it so side-splittingly hilarious that he actually died, aged 64! Aretino had spent a lot of time hiding from authorities over his views, but one thing he couldn’t hide from was a gag so dirty, it reportedly suffocated him with his own laughter. The joke itself isn’t known: it’s probably for the best.

Andersson built on his background as a woodworker, rising to prominence through poetry. After an attention-grabbing debut, he garnered acclaim before dying a truly tragic death. It happened during his stay at the Hotel Hellman in Stockholm, when Andersson was aged 32. Mental Floss wrote that he’d slept in Room 11: that would prove to be a fateful decision. 

The Teller Report website highlighted the social dimension behind his demise. The hotel was plagued with lice, an infestation that typically affected some low-income properties. Hydrogen cyanide had been used to eliminate the pests; shockingly, it also eliminated Andersson. Staff hadn’t removed enough of the compound, accidentally killing him and a fellow guest. Andersson was found deceased on the afternoon of September 16, 1920.  

 Author and Nobel Prize-winner Camus passed away suddenly in a dramatic car accident. He had been traveling from Provence to Paris, with his friend Michel Gallimard behind the wheel. It was just after Christmas and conditions were treacherous; their vehicle reportedly skidded on the ice and hit a tree. Camus died immediately, and Gallimard soon after. It was a national tragedy.

Or was it? Tragic yes, but did foul play lead to Camus’ demise on January 4, 1960? In 2011 the Corriere della Sera newspaper reported a theory that the Soviets could have been involved. According to poet Jan Zábrana, who lived between 1931 and 1984, Russian agents had sabotaged the car. Camus had spoken out against the Kremlin; some believe he’d paid for this with his life.

Author, illustrator, and activist Salinas had a passion for folklore and hispanic identity. Formerly a teacher, she pushed for greater representation of her community in literature. Setting up her own publishing company, she became a beloved figure. Sadly, when news of her death broke, it was both shocking and unusual. Salinas was discovered deceased at her home by family in New Mexico on May 13, 2013.

Newspaper the Daily Mail reported how Salinas had spent her final years as a recluse; it isn’t known how long she’d lain there. Apparently, her body was mummified, which was a surprise to her fans and the public. The verdict was that she passed away from natural causes, aged 70. Questions were asked over how she managed to lay undisturbed for as long as a year! 

The English language as we know it wouldn’t be the same without the immortal Bard. He produced many classic plays, but details about his death are far from certain. April 23 is accepted as the day it happened, and Shakespeare’s stamping ground of Stratford-upon-Avon was the location. As for the cause, well, that’s a hot topic even in the 21st century. 

History outlines some of the main theories behind the 50-something Bard’s passing. The likely candidate is an illness, with the killer blow thought to have been anything from syphilis to a cerebral hemorrhage. Meanwhile, books have been sold on the basis that Shakespeare was murdered on religious grounds. Or could he have died because of a hangover? This bizarre idea came from Stratford’s own vicar!

Marlowe was a contemporary of Shakespeare’s who suffered a violent death on May 30, 1593. The story goes that “Kit” was spending quality time at a tavern in Deptford with Ingram Frizer and others. Following a dispute over the bill, Frizer is said to have stabbed Marlowe and killed him. If this sounds a little implausible to you, then you’re not alone.

In 2001 author Mei Trow theorized that Marlowe became a target for high society aged 29. This is based on documentary evidence relating to atheism within the Queen’s Privy Council. Not believing in God was something of a big deal back then. The theory goes that Marlowe apparently knew of some eminent unbelievers, reportedly suggesting as much in his play Edward II. So he had to die! 

Follett attracted great attention when her debut story, The House Without Windows, was published. The fact she wrote it as a child made it even more impressive. If that wasn’t enough, she actually rewrote it from memory, after the original version she wrote aged nine was accidentally destroyed. She released another book the following year, and her future seemed bright. 

December 7, 1939, is the last confirmed date that Follett was seen alive: not that her death was recorded. In fact, she walked out on her husband and disappeared. This adventurous author, who enjoyed living the lives of her characters, had reportedly grown unhappy with how things turned out. What ultimately happened to her? The year 2019 saw a writer, Daniel Mills, speculate that Follett had committed suicide under a new identity.   

Woolf’s legacy extends beyond her time on Earth. From To The Lighthouse to Orlando: A Biography, she’s one of the world’s best-known female writers. Her life ended in tragedy: she drowned herself aged 59 in the River Ouse in Sussex, England, on March 28, 1941. What makes her death even more upsetting is its wartime context.

Magazine Publishers Weekly noted that the idea of suicide had already been suggested to her. Woolf’s husband Leonard was also a writer. With the specter of a remorseless enemy on the horizon during World War II, he dreaded a possible invasion of England. Figuring their time was up, he reportedly suggested they die together in 1940: he never went through with it. 

Kobbé was well-known for a love of opera, which is appropriate, because the way he died was genuinely dramatic. The 61-year-old critic and author was reportedly enjoying a day on the water. It was July 27,1918, and Kobbé was sailing in a catboat off Bay Shore in New York. He suddenly noticed that a plane was headed in his direction.

The seaplane was clearly on a collision course with the catboat. Realizing he had to take evasive action, Kobbé went to dive off his craft and swim to safety. Unfortunately, he was too late. As reported by newspaper The New York Times, the plane hit Kobbé before he could jump: he had been standing on deck preparing to dive at the time.

A key figure of the Enlightenment, La Mettrie’s work in medicine and philosophy led to him developing controversial theories. Well, controversial at the time, anyway. La Mettrie was an atheist, no big issue by today’s standards. Back then, though, readers were angry enough to burn his books. He was brought to the attention of Frederick the Great in Berlin, though his demise was far from regal.   

The deep thinker decided to demonstrate the depth of his appetites. Long before the concept of binge-eating was written about, he gorged on pâte aux truffes, or truffle paste. This reportedly triggered fever and delirium on November 11, 1751, with death soon following. “It seems that the disease, knowing with whom it had to deal, was cunning enough to attack him first by the brain,” said Frederick, by way of tribute to the 41-year-old.