After Whitman died, a three-hour autopsy was performed on his body. Doctors concluded the cause of death was “… pleurisy of the left side, consumption of the right lung, general military tuberculosis and parenchymatous nephritis.” Not an uncommon fate for someone in this time and place.

When did Walt Whitman die and how?

Whitman later worked as a volunteer nurse during the Civil War, writing the collection Drum Taps (1865) in connection to the experiences of war-torn soldiers. Having continued to produce new editions of Leaves of Grass along with original works, Whitman died on March 26, 1892, in Camden, New Jersey.

What happened to Walt Whitman?

After a stroke towards the end of his life, Whitman moved to Camden, New Jersey, where his health further declined. When he died at age 72, his funeral was a public event. Whitman's influence on poetry remains strong.