Mozart's death at 35 ended one of history's most prolific composing careers, leaving his Requiem unfinished and sparking enduring debate over cause of death.
Key Facts
- Date of death
- 5 December 1791
- Age at death
- 35 years
- Location
- Vienna, Austria
- Cause of death
- Disputed; subject of ongoing research
- Final work
- Requiem in D minor (left unfinished)
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had been composing prolifically throughout his life, but by late 1791 he fell ill with a condition whose precise nature remains disputed. Whether his decline was gradual or sudden, and whether it was accompanied by fear and despair or relative calm, has been debated by historians and medical scholars for over two centuries.
On 5 December 1791, Mozart died at his home in Vienna at the age of 35. The exact disease responsible for his death has never been definitively established, and the nature of his funeral arrangements has also been a subject of historical controversy, with debate over whether they reflected the customs of the time or constituted neglect.
Mozart's death left his Requiem incomplete and cut short a body of work spanning symphonies, operas, and chamber music. The circumstances of his death prompted extensive scholarly and medical investigation, and his funeral arrangements generated lasting questions about how he was regarded in his final days. His legacy grew enormously in the centuries following his death.