Death from laughter

"Die laughing" redirects here. For other uses, see Die laughing (disambiguation).
Chrysippus allegedly died of laughter after witnessing a donkey eating a fig.[1]
Der Tod des Dichters Pietro Aretino (The Death of the Poet Pietro Aretino) by Anselm Feuerbach

Death from laughter is an extremely rare form of death, usually resulting from either cardiac arrest or asphyxiation, that has itself been caused by a fit of laughter. Though uncommon, death by laughter has been recorded from the times of ancient Greece to modern times.

Usually, the phrase "dying from laughter" is used as a hyperbole.

  1. ^ Inwood, Brad; Gerson, Lloyd P. (2008-09-11). The Stoics Reader: Selected Writings and Testimonia. Hackett Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60384-376-8.