Famous People Who Died Of Starvation

With reports of deaths dating back to roughly 1,000 BC, a list of famous people who died of starvation includes those who intentionally starved themselves for one reason or another, those who were forced to starving to death against their will and a select few who found themselves in unfortunate predicaments that led to their starvation deaths.

Famous and notorious people throughout history used starvation as a way to protest something they believed in, such as their religion or political views. Obviously, since their names are on this list of starvation deaths, their pursuit to prove a point or change a law was unsuccessful and led to their deaths.

Others, such as earlier deaths on the list, were forced into starvation as a punishment. Also common in earlier deaths as well as new ones, some of these unfortunate souls lost their lives from starvation after becoming stuck in a location where no food was available. Among those, some were in exile while others were adventurers that found themselves without any means to leave the remote and resource-barren locations.

Though starvation deaths were more common in ancient times, they've also been connected to a few modern-day deaths. The great mathematician Kurt Godel died in 1978 from starvation. Having eaten only food prepared by his wife, Godel died after refusing to eat following a period when his wife was unable to cook for him.

Starvation certainly is a painful and slow manner of death, regardless of the reason or era. It is not however nearly as close to the weird deaths that have taken place in new and old times. For those cases, check out the bizarre deaths from the Middle Ages or the strange deaths of the 21st century and a number of deaths in between.