The Latest Theories about Poe’s Death

Here are some more new theories, submitted to our website, about the cause of Poe’s mysterious death. Study the evidence and submit your own theory at http://www.poemuseum.org/students-mystery.php

Snow Heart
Age 16
Blacklick, Oh
I feel Poe, even though we all can tell that he had many things wrong with him that could have resulted in his death, I feel that he planned it so that we could not figure out his death, although all clues seem to point to him overdosing until his death, suicide seems to be what he would do, although it is in my opinion that his death was his last great work, creating the ultimate mystery and horror through himself. He seems to have taken the steps necessary to hide how he died, whether or not he wanted this mystery to be solved is another mystery all it’s own but I feel he caused his own death through liquor, and a series of health problems that he was aware he had to leave behind a legacy to us who love his great works.

Robert
Age 14
Wedowee, Alabama
I think he had a disease but noboby knew that he had one and finally he died

Kurtis
Age 13
Battle Creek, Michigan
i killed edgar allan poe

Nayelli
Age 13
Ontario,California
Edgar was already a strange man. He could have gone crazy because of hereditary reasons and who knows what could have happened. All of these theories could possibly be true, but we will never know.

Jr.
Age 12
Ontario, California
I beleive that the reason of Poe’s death was simply the irregular heart beat, and the brain tumor that should have been treated.

Anonomoous
Age 95
Memphis , Tennesee
Poe could have died of any cause of Death, but I would think it to be Murder.

Jael
Age 13
Coral Springs, Florida
I have observed that when Edgar was hospitalized 5 O’clock in the afternoon to 3 am the next day he was drunk and ill and started hallucinating and talking to thing that weren’t there he got angry at one of the nurses and started acting rough with her and for her self defense she started hitting Edgar causing brain trauma and followed by a heavy fever and estimating died 2 hours later.

Erica
Age 16
San Marcos, California
I feel that Poe’s alcoholism and possibly a mixture of drugs as well is what made him delirious, and he’d had taken him since he was such a melancholic person. Maybe a suicide? Asking God for forgiveness when he said “Lord, help my poor soul” minutes before he died.

Jack
Age 14
Ball, Louisiana
my theory of Edgar Allan Poe’s death is that he died of either a heart attack or he killed himself because he got drunk;)

Shayonne
Age 14
Alexandria, Louisiana
mr poe mustve was real sick that no one knew about and the doctor mustve gave him a due date that he suppose to die.

Brooke
Age 13
Blanchester, Ohio
I think that Edgar was a very intelligent man. I think maybe, being an orphan at such a young age, and him hopping from city to city, took a toll on him & He began to drink. After his first wife died, he started drinking more and more. He got in ill health because of this. I also think he was on drugs from his insane stories. So maybe he just ended his own life because he knew it was going to end soon.

Jonathan
Age 14
Calgary, Alberta
brain tumor

Anna
Age 14
Sacramento, California
Maybe all his poems and stories were true, about him self or someone else and when that other person saw what he was doing they started poisoning Poe. But if there wasn’t another person then maybe they were about himself and having people know about his actions but not no the reality of them drove him insane and Reynolds that he had said before he died could have been one of his victims or the one person that knew his poems were true.

Cadedra
Age 16
Killeen, Texas
i believe that poe was still alive; only that he went into hiding. maybe it was to hide from his fears or maybe it was the fact that his pain made him so insane he jus disappeared. only thing i know is that he was a great author and i really appreciated him a lot ……

Carolina
Age 18
Rosario, Argentina
in my opinion, it could be caused by several reasons. health problems and why not? that idiot politicians could drugged him and kick him because of the election time. he never killed himself. he was with elmira again. so, it’s imposible.

Face
Age 13
Boston, Massachusetts
aliens came and took poe away before he could do anything and they made him watch reruns of ugly betty which then killed him

Papadopoulou
Age 20
Thessaloniki, Greece
Edgar Allan Poe had suffered so much while he was alive and in such a short time that he probably had problems with alcohol. He had already been addicted to gambling before so why not drinking as well? He was found in a delirium and in somebody else’s clothes. He was drunk and lost his clothes in gambling.

Demetria
Age 13
Scottsville, Kentucky
my theory is that poe could have went out in the woods and been bitten by an animal and got rabies.

Isabella
Age 13
Anchorage, Alaska
They said they found him in a bar. They say that he had to be carried out. I suppose that the people in the bar were drunk so they could have seen the real reason he died. Could he have been poisoned by his friend? They felt that it was wrong and showed the most evil side of people. I believe that he was murdered for that reason possibly.

Alylah
Age 13
Virginia Beach , Virginia
I think Poe died because he drank too much and got alcohol poisoning. When the people found him he was already dead and they couldn’t revive him. Even if they had found him earlier I don’t think they would have been advanced enough medically to treat his poisoning sufficiently.

T-Erica
Age 13
Lancaster, California
Poe died of a pre-existing disease, probably a brain tumor, which grew over time slowly killing him. He said himself in a letter to Maria Clemm that he had not been drinking around the time of his death. Also he left his clothes and correct walking stick at home which is why we was found looking “worse for wear”. He was around the bar because he was giving lectures like he had been doing prior to his leaving Richmond. His close personal friend and nurse said that he had some type of lesion to the brain.