List of choking deaths

This is a list of notable people who have died by choking.

• 405 BC: Sophocles (91), Diodorus Siculus claims Sophocles choked on a grape-seed in a cup of wine.^[1]
• circa 200: Lucius Fabius Cilo, Pliny the Elder claims "Chilo" perished from choking on a single hair in a draught of milk.^[2]
• 453: Attila the Hun (47), although cause of death is disputed.
• 1065: Godwin, Earl of Wessex (~55), reported (by Aelred of Rievaulx) to have choked to death at a Winchester banquet with Edward the Confessor after asking God to witness his claimed innocence in the death of Edward's brother.^[3]
• 1946: Alexander Alekhine (53), autopsy indicates heart attack, but supposed witness claimed choking.
• 1956: Tommy Dorsey (51)
• 1957: Raymond Griffith (62)
• 1960: Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee (49), first Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force (IAF), died on 8 November 1960 at Tokyo by choking on a piece of food lodged in his windpipe.^[4]
• 1963: Skinnay Ennis (55)
• 1967: Jimmie Foxx, famous Major League Baseball player, died by choking on a bone on 21 July 1967 aged 59.^[5]
• 1970: Jimi Hendrix (27), choked on his aspirated vomit while unconscious with barbiturates.^[6]
• 1971: T. V. Soong (76), former premier of Republic of China
• 1978: Dingle Foot (72), well known British politician and brother to future Labour Party Leader Michael Foot died in a Hong Kong hotel after choking on bone in a chicken sandwich.
• 1980: John Bonham (32), Led Zeppelin drummer. Bonham had consumed around 40 shots (1–1.4 litres) of 40% ABV vodka in a 24 hour period, after which he vomited and choked (a condition known as pulmonary aspiration). The finding was accidental death.
• 1980: Bon Scott (33) the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band AC/DC The official report of the coroner concluded that Scott had died of "acute alcohol poisoning (which made him choke to death on his own vomit)" and classified it as "Death by misadventure".
• 1981: Christy Brown (49)
• 2009: Christopher Nolan (43), Irish poet and author.
• 2015: Praful Bidwai (66), Indian journalist and activist, died by choking on food on 23 June 2015 at a conference in Amsterdam.^{[7][circular reference]}
• 2017: American rapper Prodigy (42) of Mobb Deep, died by accidental choking.^[8]
• 2024: Venezuelan olympic track cyclist Daniela Larreal (50), died by choking on food in Las Vegas, on 11 August 2024.^[9]

In popular culture

• Singer Cass Elliot did not die from choking on a ham sandwich, as has been alleged.^[10]
• In the mockumentary film This is Spinal Tap, the band's former drummer, Eric "Stumpy Joe" Childs, is said to have died after he "choked on vomit" and that "it was actually someone else’s vomit". (This is almost certainly a parody of the deaths of real-life rock stars John Bonham and Bon Scott, as cited above.)