We are all going to meet our end in one way or another. Many of us have no idea how or when. We can play it safe by trying to plan, predict and protect ourselves until we’re literally blue in the face. But sometimes, the Grim Reaper catches us off guard with their dark and twisted sense of humor.
People have gone to the grave in the most unexpected ways. From the founder of The North Face clothing who suffered hypothermia, to someone who drowned at a lifeguard party to celebrate a year of no drownings, their endings prove that life has the ability to deliver the most brutally ironic punchline imaginable.
Bored Panda has compiled a somewhat morbid but fascinating list of ways that irony sent people six feet under. Many might have you gasping for air, while you silently mutter, “You couldn’t make that up if you tried.” May these tales be a not-so-gentle reminder to live each moment like it’s your last because tragedy doesn’t exempt itself from poetic timing.
#1
Any Covid-denier who died of the virus.
Most people meet their maker because of non-communicable diseases like heart disease, stroke, respiratory complications or cancer. But every now and again, the Grim Reaper decides to switch things up with their dark sense of humor.
We can lead healthy lives, live with extreme caution and even try to plot and predict our demise. No matter what we do, just living poses some kind of risk. That's not to say we should be paranoid... just more aware.
Many people live in fear of losing their life in a car accident, violence or even a plane crash. But according to data, your odds of kicking the bucket because of an accidental opioid overdose are greater than having a fatal motor-vehicle crash.
#2
Garry Hoy fell 24 stories to his death, after he threw himself into some safety windows to demonstrate that the glass was unbreakable.
As it happens, the glass was indeed unbreakable. The window *frames* however.
© Photo: big_sugi
#3
After years of distrusting and persecuting doctors for political reasons, Stalin died of a stroke and no doctors were around to help him.
The National Safety Council (NSC) reveals that while many Americans fear gun violence, they're much more likely to land in the grave because of an unintentional and preventable injury like slipping or falling down the stairs.
There's also a greater chance of you drowning in a bathtub than drowning in a flood. If you have a fear of flying, rest assured that the chances of not making it to the tarmac alive are super slim. In fact, so slim that there were too few fatalities in 2023 for the NSC to calculate the odds of it happening to you.
#4
Thomas Midgley Jr invented leaded petrol (which lowered the iq of about half of US adults), and then went on to invent CFCs (which helped deplete the ozone). He is estimated to have changed our atmosphere more than any single organism in history.
Later in life he contracted polio and built himself an elaborate system of ropes and pulleys to hoist himself out of bed. One day he got tangled in this and died of strangulation.
© Photo: AlfaTangoCharlie
#5
Casper Schmidt.
AIDS denials that died of AIDS.
#6
Jerome Moody. He drowned during a party for New Orleans lifeguards. Many of the people in attendance were professional lifeguards, and four guards were on duty. To make matters worse, the party was in celebration of the New Orleans Recreational Department’s first drowning-free swimming season in recorded history.
© Photo: naomihy
It's long been said that prevention is better than cure. And since someone loses their life every two minutes in America because of something that could have been prevented, it pays to take it seriously.
The United States recorded almost 223,000 preventable fatalities in 2023 alone, prompting experts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to publish the most common injuries they see, along with some practical advice for how to avoid them.
#7
Derek Kieper, an anti-seat belt activist, was thrown from a car during a crash and k****d. Two others in the car, belted, were unhurt.
#8
Michael Godwin, 28, an American criminal convicted of m****r, was initially given a death sentence by electrocution
before being reduced to life imprisonment. Godwin died from
electrocution when he bit into wires while attempting to fix a broken
television set, at the same time sitting on a metal toilet in his prison
cell at the Central Correctional Institute in South Carolina.
© Photo: 1440III
#9
Tim Treadwell, self appointed grizzly expert. Died by grizzly bear attack.
© Photo: tipsygypsy98
According to those experts, falling to your demise is one of your biggest risks, especially among older Americans.
“Fall prevention starts by taking care of yourself,” says Holly Waller, senior director of Trauma, Burn and Inpatient Wound Services at UAB Hospital. “Ensure you are staying hydrated, eating a balanced diet and staying active so you can continue improving your balance and strength and lower your risk of falling.”
#10
The millionaire CEO of Segway Jimi Heselden died in 2010 from injuries apparently sustained falling from a cliff while riding his own product.
© Photo: ki**cote93
#11
John Sedgwick: Major General in the Union Army during the American Civil War
Sedgwick died at the beginning of the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, on May 9, 1864. He noticed his men diving for cover, despite the Confederates shooting from 1,000 yards away. He said, "Why are you dodging like this? They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance."
He was shot by a rifle bullet moments later under the left eye and died.
#12
Gaddafi. For sure! A few months before his death he threatened to hunt down the protestors street by street, house by house, like rats. And in the end he was found hiding in a sewer drain and was k****d by them.
Waller advises that you avoid using loose rugs at home, install safety bars in bathrooms and near stairs, and always make sure pathways are clear of items that could cause anyone to trip. It also helps for the elderly or vulnerable to wear shoes, no-slip socks and/or assistive devices like a cane or walker if needed.
#13
My D.A.R.E officer/teacher Overdosed and died on oxycodone.
#14
James Dean starred in an ad campaign for driving safety, and said "Take it easy driving — the life you might save might be mine."
Not long after, he died in a car crash caused by another driver.
© Photo: anon
#15
Comedian Redd Foxx had a recurring bit where he would fake a heart attack (famously used on Sanford and Son)
While filming another show, he had an actual heart attack and died when people thought it was his bit.
© Photo: Agile-Fee-6057
Another big risk is burns, especially in the winter months because of space heaters, heated blankets, bonfires or fireplaces.
"Space heaters should always be placed on a hard, flat surface at least 3 feet away from loose items such as curtains, furniture and clothing," warns the UAB site, adding that you shouldn't use these heaters near flammable liquids or chemicals. The expert also advises that space heaters be turned off when not in use and always be plugged directly into a wall, not an extension cord.
#16
Sad irony from “The Day the Music Died” Waylon Jennings jokingly told Buddy Holly “I hope your plane crashes” and then it did k*****g Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. Richardson and their pilot.
#17
In March 2014 an airplane of Malaysia Airlines, flight MH370, disappeared from the radars, presumably crashed above the Indian Ocean.
In July 2014 a passenger that was about to board another Malaysia Airlines plane, flight MH17, joked about possibly not surviving the flight, referring to the MH370 disaster just three months before. I think he posted a selfie with the joke caption on Twitter or Instagram.
MH17 was then shot down by Russian forces above Ukraine. The guy and everyone else on board died.
#18
Paul Walker dying in a car crash.
When it comes to electric blankets, you might be surprised to know that it is not advisable for older adults or people with diabetes to use them. This is because of the thinning of their skin and the loss of sensation and nerve damage in their extremities.
"Heated blankets should be rolled up to prevent damage and checked regularly for damage to the cord or heating elements," cautions the site. "Unplug heated blankets before going to sleep or when they are not in use, and do not layer these devices with other heating products."
#19
Okay, I know of a YouTube sensation from Mexico, he was known as "El Canaca." So this guy was being filmed by the news as he was pulled over by the cops for drinking and driving. As the reporter asks him "Why is he drinking and driving, when he is putting patrons life at risk." He justifies by saying "That he has not crashed yet."
One year later he was ran over by a woman who was drinking and driving.
© Photo: harazen
#20
John O'Neill was the F.B.I.'s leading expert on Bin Laden. He retired from the F.B.I. in August of 2001.... and started work 19 days before 9/11 as head of security for a firm at the World Trade Center.
#21
Terrorist Khay Rahnajet mailed a letter b**b without enough postage. When it got returned to sender he opened it and died.
Not really ironic, but still funny as hell.
We don't need to highlight the dangers of firearms, but most people become complacent with their own weapons. According to Dr. Jeffrey D. Kerby, director of the UAB Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, firearms are a leading cause of preventable fatalities and injuries in the USA. He adds that proper handling and safe storage of firearms is crucial in changing this.
#22
Very surprised no one has mentioned **Joseph Stalin** yet!
After returning home from an all night movie and drinking binge, Stalin gives his guards strict orders not to disturb him. He doesn't get up at his usual 10am, but his guard are waaaay too afraid of him to go check. 12 hours later, he's discovered by his Deputy Commandant lying on his back, having suffered a stroke. He lay there for the entire day, helpless, alone, and in agony. If doctors had helped him in time, he might have lived long enough to nuke us in the cuban missile crisis. Who knows?
TL;DR Stalin's guard are too afraid to disobey him - he dies a horrible, agonizing death because of it.
#23
A guy robbed a world war 2 veterans house and stole a handgun from WW2 which he later used to rob a convenience store and when he attempted to k**l the cashier he heard a click and his immediate response was to look down the barrel, he didn't know the gun was so old it had a hang fire, so he accidentally shot himself in the face and could only be identified by his dental records.
#24
Founder and owner of North Face outdoors clothing died of hypothermia.
© Photo: Ositosan
If you own one, or there is one in your home, always assume it is loaded, keep your fingers away from the trigger, ensure the firearm is pointing in a safe direction (meaning a bullet can't strike anyone or ricochet off any surrounding surfaces), check all chambers before cleaning, and always store the firearm safely and securely when not in use.
“Keep firearms out of sight and out of reach of children,” warns Kerby. “Firearms should be unloaded and stored in a secure gun safe with a child-resistant lock. Ammunition should be stored in a separate locked container. This will decrease the chance of children accidentally harming themselves.”
#25
Clement Vallandigham accidentally sh*t and k****d himself in 1871 in an attempt to demonstrate how, a person who had recently been sh*t and k****d had in fact accidentally sh*t them self.
© Photo: andurilmat
#26
I don't know if this is ironic, coincidental, or even famous, but I remember reading something about how a South African astronomer gave a lecture saying that "Death can come at any time," and then died from choking on a mint immediately after delivering the lecture.
© Photo: Photoplier
#27
Bobby Leach was a stunt performer and was the 2nd person to go over Niagara Falls (height of about 170 feet) and survive. Later in life he slipped and fell less than 5 feet and broke his leg, which got infected and he died.
© Photo: anon
Train once sang that there are a thousand ways to go... But there could be even more. We might not know when, where or how our time will come. All we can do is be cautious, and even that may not stop the Grim Reaper from knocking on our door.
At the end of the day, one of the best things you can do is live life to the fullest and enjoy each day as if it's your last... Because one day, it will be.
#28
Hopefully soon, Putin will fall out a basement window and die.
#29
Jack Daniels died from an infection when he kicked his safe and developed a blister he ignored. Supposedly if he had soaked his foot in his own alcohol he would have survived.
#30
I’m not sure about ironic but strangely poetic, and probably the best way this person could have died…
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote a profound book about a pilot who crashes his plane into the desert and makes the acquaintance of a blond little boy from the stars who loved a rose and is forever saddened when the boy returns to his home planet. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, a pilot himself, later vanished without a trace while he was flying his plane ~~over the Sahara Desert~~. I choose to believe that the aviator was finally able to see his friend…
I think in recent years they actually found the wreckage of his plane, but still; you can’t tell me that death isn’t the most perfect way for him to have died… it’s just so unbelievably poetic. Obviously it probably sucked for him though.
#31
Dr. Charles Drewm inventor of the blood bank, and the method of storing platelets instead of whole blood, which required refrigeration, bled to death after a car accident.
*There is an untrue rumor that he died because he was refused treatment at a white hospital. This isn't accurate. His injuries were catastrophic, but he was immediately treated at the white hospital he was taken to, but he did not survive.
#32
The creator of Blucifer (the blue horse outside of the Denver International Airport) was k****d after part of it fell off and hit him during its construction.
#33
Guy in my town crash his skidoo into a sign advertising helmet safety. He wasn't wearing a helmet. He was one of the towns firefighters, and as such a first responder.
#34
Marlboro man died of lung cancer.
#35
Actor Christopher Allport, who played the heroic sheriff in two low budget horror movies about "Jack Frost," a killer snowman, died in an avalanche at a California ski resort in 2008.
#36
Dennis Wilson was the only Beach Boy who knew how to surf. He drowned.
#37
There was a news story a couple of years ago about a guy that died in a motorcycle accident riding in a rally against helmet laws. If he had been wearing a helmet, he likely would have survived.
#38
Choking to death on a lifesaver in the living room.
#39
Getting run over by an ambulance.
#40
Choking on a Cyanide pill.
#41
On March 23, 1994, a medical examiner viewed the body of Ronald Opus and concluded that he died from a gunshot wound of the head caused by a s*****n. Investigation to that point had revealed that the decedent had jumped from the top of a ten-story building with the intent to commit s*****e. (He left a note indicating his despondency.) As he passed the 9th floor on the way down, his life was interrupted by a s*****n blast through a window, k*****g him instantly. Neither the shooter nor the decedent was aware that a safety net had been erected at the 8th floor level to protect some window washers, and that the decedent would most likely not have been able to complete his intent to commit s*****e because of this.
Ordinarily, a person who starts into motion the events with a s*****e intent ultimately commits s*****e even though the mechanism might be not what he intended. That he was shot on the way to certain death nine stories below probably would not change his mode of death from s*****e to homicide, but the fact that his s*****e intent would not have been achieved under any circumstance caused the medical examiner to feel that he had homicide on his hands.
Further investigation led to the discovery that the room on the 9th floor from whence the s*****n blast emanated was occupied by an elderly man and his wife. He was threatening her with the s*****n because of an interspousal spat and became so upset that he could not hold the s*****n straight. Therefore, when he pulled the trigger, he completely missed his wife, and the pellets went through the window, striking the decedent.
When one intends to k**l subject A but kills subject B in the attempt, one is guilty of the m****r of subject B. The old man was confronted with this conclusion, but both he and his wife were adamant in stating that neither knew that the s*****n was loaded. It was the longtime habit of the old man to threaten his wife with an unloaded s*****n. He had no intent to m****r her; therefore, the k*****g of the decedent appeared then to be accident. That is, the gun had been accidentally loaded.
But further investigation turned up a witness that their son was seen loading the s*****n approximately six weeks prior to the fatal accident. That investigation showed that the mother (the old lady) had cut off her son's financial support, and her son, knowing the propensity of his father to use the s*****n threateningly, loaded the gun with the expectation that the father would shoot his mother. The case now becomes one of m****r on the part of the son for the death of Ronald Opus.
Now comes the exquisite twist. Further investigation revealed that the son, Ronald Opus himself, had become increasingly despondent over the failure of his attempt to get his mother m******d. This led him to jump off the ten-story building on March 23, only to be k****d by a s*****n blast through a 9th story window.
The medical examiner closed the case as a s*****e.
#42
The guy who designed the Brazen Bull, was also the first person to 'try it out'...
#43
Qin Shi Huang died ingesting mercury pills which were supposed to make him immortal.
#44
Darwin awards: drunk college kids pile in the back of a pickup truck and go steal a bunch of stop signs. On the way back the truck was struck by a semi that ran into an intersection..because it was missing a stop sign.
#45
Getting k****d by a forklift while recording an instructional video about forklift safety.
#46
Motorcyclist dies of brain injury in crash at motorcycle helmet law protest.
#47
Jeffery Dahmer k****d his first victim with a barbell.
And in prison a fellow inmate beat him to death with a barbell.
#48
I believe there was an American lawyer showing the danger of guns, and in the court room shot himself in the head.
#49
Isadora Duncan, famous for her scarves, had hers catch in the rear wheel of a convertible.
#50
James Sakara, a pastor from Zambia, thought that he'll be able to ressurect just like Jesus Christ did. He asked to be buried alive, with the intention that he'll come back to life 3 days later.
It seems his plan wasn't as airtight as he thought.
#51
Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, arguably died from his unfortunate decision to eat little more than Apples. As a fruitarian, he would have deprived his body of a number of micronutrients, most notably selenium.
One of Selenium deficiency’s leading side effects is cancer of the pancreas.
#52
Ritchie Valens, singer of La Bamba, had a fear of flying since childhood but then died on his first flight 😔.
#53
The guy who made the brazen bull (a metal bull shaped statue which could be openend, then a person would be thrown in, closed and out above a fire, and there was a 'breathing tube' connected to the mouth oh the bull so the screaming of the person sounded like a bull). after it was ready the person who designed it was asked to show how it worked, got in. then others closed it lit it.
#54
That one Roman guy who spent his whole life becoming immune to poison, then trying to conit s*****e via poison, and it not working. Then he got stabed.
#55
John Sedgwick getting shot after telling his troops "They [The Confederate troops] can't hit an elephant at this distance!".
#56
My great-grandmother was an alcoholic and the beer k****d her. Got ran over by a beer truck.
#57
Garry Hoy. In an attempt to prove to a group of prospective articling students that the glass in the Toronto-Dominion Centre was unbreakable, he threw himself through a glass wall on the 24th story and fell to his death after the window frame gave way.
#58
Steve Irwin, the crocodile hunter, dying from a stingray. That sucked.
#59
Read this article a while ago, I'll try to find it again.
A boy jumped from a window as a s*****e,, but was shot on the way down. He landed in a net that would have saved his life had he not been shot.
The man who shot him was actually aiming for his wife a couple stories below, but missed, and the bullet went out the window as the boy went by. Apparently, the man with the gun used to threaten his wife with an unloaded gun whenever they fought, and somehow the gun was loaded.
As if that wasn't ironic enough, it turns out that the boy was the son of the man with the gun. He was just recently cut off financially by his mother so, knowing his fathers tendency to threaten her, loaded the gun in hopes that he would shoot her.
After his mother still being alive for some time, and his life going downhill rapidly, he decided to take his own life.
After much debate on who was to blame, it was ruled a s*****e, because the boy jumped, and even though he would have lived, he was the one who loaded the gun that k****d him.
#60
Li Si, the Prime Minister during the Qin dynasty (around 208 BC), was executed by the Five Pains method which he had invented himself.
This method of t*****e started with the nose being cut off, then one hand and one foot, and finally, being castrated and cut in half across the waist.
#61
Steve Irwin's death was a bit ironic.
#62
In 564 BC, Arrichion the Wrestler became the only person to win the Olympic gold by dying. Arrichion was a superstar of his age, a wrestling god who went from victory to victory. But one day in the Olympic finals, he finally met his match. Arrichion found himself caught in a deadly ladder hold, a choke move that completely prevented him from breathing. He was out of options: If he wouldn’t submit, he’d asphyxiate. Clearly, the only reasonable thing to do was to submit and suffer a loss. However, Arrichion opted for the unreasonable and, in fact, unbelievable. Inspired by the shouts of his coach (who probably didn’t realize how dire the situation was), the wrestler rolled into an even more painful position, thus gaining access to the opponent’s foot. This brave move ended up k*****g him, but he was able to twist the other wrestler’s foot so painfully that he submitted at the exact same moment Arrichion’s life left him. Arrichion had won the Olympic gold, and all it cost him was his life.
#63
My father sh*t himself as a joke twice, got stabbed on five different occassions, and jumped off two commercial buildings. He was a d**g a****t, alcoholic, and had cirrhosis of the liver for years. He suffered a head injury after getting run over by a semi-truck and thought it was all rather hilarious.
He walks outside one morning, gets bit by a spider, dies two days later.
Huh.
#64
1. John Horrocks. He liked camels, and a camel shot him to death. It shifted its weight basically making him shoot himself. He died from his injuries, but not before asking that the camel be k****d.
2. Jimi Heseiden. Segway owner who died on a Segway.
3. David Grundman. He went out shooting saguaro cacti with his s*****n, because that's what normal people do. Ended up being k****d when a large one fell on him.
4. Pietro Aretino. A writer noted for saucy humor aimed at aristocrats. He was told a saucy joke one day, and he found it funny. Very funny. He leaned back in his chair as he laughed and he fell back and died.
5. Basil Brown. Health advocate. Died after drinking a gallon of carrot juice a day for ten days.
6. Nitaro Ito. He was running for House of Representatives, and wasn't getting enough traction, so he decided that an assassination attempt against himself would look good. And what better person to pull it off than himself? He ended up dying from the stab wound.
7. Zishe Breitbart. Extremely strong man. Could lift baby elephants and bend iron bars with ease. A nail scratched his knee and he died. Blood poisoning.
8. James Otis Jr. A famed American Revolutionary. He insisted to friends that he wanted to be k****d by a bolt of lighting. He was, as you may have guessed, k****d by a bolt of lightning. Apparently, no clouds were in the sky.
9. Governor Morris. American legislator. He experienced urinary blockage and decided to take matters into his own hands. He stuck a piece of whalebone up his urinary tract, doing enough damage to k**l himself.
10. Arrhichion. Superstar wrestler. He was competing for the olympic gold, and was in a position where he was in a chokehold. He moved to put his opponent in a position of submission; the opponent submitted as he died. So he died while winning a gold medal.
11. Draco the Greek. Beloved politician. People showed him their love by throwing cloaks at him. One time they threw enough that he was smothered to death.
#65
Being crushed by a giant neon sign in a casino that reads "luck of the irish".
#66
There was this guy I went to high school with who was morbidly obese and died of a heart attack. However, that's not the ironic part.
In order to raise money to pay for his funeral... the school sold donuts.
#67
Jesus. He was a carpenter and he was k****d by a wooden cross.
#68
Jim Fixx was famous for convincing people of the health benefits of running, but died by a heart attack while running.
Hans Steininger had the longest beard in the world. It was so iconic people immortalized it in stone. He died by tripping over it and breaking his neck.
A great daredevil, Bobby Leach, known for being one of the only people to survive a trip down the Niagara Falls, died after slipping on a banana peel and getting complications.
#69
John Sedgwick was a general for the Union army. While his men were flinching from shots fired by the enemy sharpshooters, he was quoted saying that "I'm ashamed of you, dodging that way. They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance." Seconds later, he got k****d by a bullet right below his left eye.
#70
The inventor of the seatbelt was k****d in a car crash. because he wasn't wearing his seatbelt.
#71
Really? Nobody has said the Titanic yet? The "unsinkable ship" sinking on its maiden voyage.
#72
Choked to death... On a lifesaver.
#73
Edward A. Murphy Jr.
Murphy's law was: "If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong".
How Mr. Murphy died:
One dark evening (in the U.S.), Mr. Murphy's car ran out of gas. As he hitchhiked to a gas station, while facing traffic and wearing white, so he could see every car approaching on his side of the road, he was struck from behind by a British tourist who was driving on the wrong side of the road.
Now that, I call irony.
#74
One dude drowned at lifeguards' party thrown to celebrate year with zero drownings.
© Photo: KasiaJoanna
#75
Redd Foxx faked heart attacks on Samford & Son as well as behind the scenes. He had a heart attack on set, people thought he was faking.. but he died.
#76
There was once a woman from Israel who moved to London because she felt unsafe living in the Middle East, under the threat of ideological b**b wielding murderers.
She died in the 2005 London train bombings, perpetrated by ideological murderers who followed a Middle Eastern religion.
#77
A roman legion I forget his name was so obsessed with gold, when he was finally captured they poured liquidated molten gold down his throat.
#78
Lou Gehrig. Died of Lou Gehrig's Disease. Poor b*****d. How'd he not see that coming?
#79
Robin Williams. He spent decades making other people laugh yet his own depression took his life.
#80
A lot of people die in the living room.
Think of it.
#81
Something I find really ironic is The Joker's laughing gas.....dying with a smile on your face when your last feeling is pure terror. *Shudder*.
#82
Joan Rivers dying from a necessary surgery.
#83
When Stannis ends up dying from a tooth infection, caused by him grinding his teeth.
#84
Probably Jerome Moody, he drowned during a party for New Orleans lifeguards. There were around 100 professional lifeguards at the party, and four lifeguards were actually on duty at the time. Now here's where it gets good, they were hosting a party to celebrate New Orleans Recreational Department’s first nondrowning season in recorded history.
#85
Lou Gehrig. Died of Lou Gehrig's disease. How do you not see that coming?
© Photo: YourFavoriteBandSux
#86
The CEO of Segway fell to his death when he drove off a cliff whilst riding a Segway.
#87
Well there was the time that my dog's stomach was feeling upset. So I put him in the car and we went to the vet, but on the way to the vet, I k****d a cat.
