How Did Einstein Die?
Albert Einstein died on April 18, 1955, at age 76, from a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. He refused surgery, accepting death on his own terms.
Explore Einstein's complete biography →
Cause of Death
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
An aneurysm is a bulge in a blood vessel wall. Einstein's had been discovered in 1948 and was monitored. In 1955, it ruptured.
- 1948: Aneurysm discovered during surgery
- April 13, 1955: Collapsed at home with severe pain
- April 15: Hospitalized at Princeton Hospital
- April 17: Aneurysm ruptured
- April 18, 1955: Died at 1:15 AM
Einstein's Choice
Doctors offered surgery to repair the aneurysm. Einstein refused, saying:
"I want to go when I want. It is tasteless to prolong life artificially. I have done my share; it is time to go. I will do it elegantly."
He remained mentally sharp until the end, working on a speech for Israeli Independence Day and equations for unified field theory.
His Last Words
Einstein's last words were in German—his native language. The night nurse didn't speak German, so they were lost to history.
- Working on physics calculations
- Reading manuscripts
- Speaking with his son Hans Albert
What Happened to Einstein's Brain
- He photographed it from multiple angles
- Sectioned it into 240 blocks
- Distributed pieces to researchers
- Kept much of it himself for decades
- Larger parietal lobes
- Unusual connectivity patterns
- More glial cells than average
Whether these caused or resulted from his thinking remains debated.
Where Einstein Is Buried
Nowhere—his body was cremated on the same day he died. His ashes were scattered at an undisclosed location, per his wishes.
He didn't want his grave to become a shrine.
His Final Work
- A speech for Israel's 7th Independence Day
- Unified field theory equations
- Still pursuing physics to the end
Einstein's Legacy
- The world's most famous scientist
- A symbol of genius
- An advocate for peace and civil rights
- Still working on physics problems
His theories continue shaping our understanding of the universe.