Historical deaths attributed to laughter One account of the death of Chrysippus , the third century B.C. Greek stoic philosopher, tells that he died of laughter after giving his donkey wine, then seeing it attempt to feed on figs . [8] In 1410, King Martin of Aragon died from a combination of indigestion and uncontrollable laughter. [9] In 1556, Pietro Aretino "is said to have died of suffocation from laughing too much." [10] In 1660, Thomas Urquhart , the Scottish aristocrat, polymath and first translator of Rabelais into English, is said to have died laughing upon hearing that Charles II had taken the throne. [11] [12] Modern deaths attributed to laughter On 24 March 1975, Alex Mitchell, from King's Lynn , England , died laughing while watching the " Kung Fu Kapers " episode of The Goodies , featuring a kilt -cla...