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What caused Felix Mendelssohnâs death?
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Felix Mendelssohn
German composer Felix Mendelssohn, painting by Wilhelm Hensel.
Felix Mendelssohn died on November 4, 1847, in Leipzig following the rupture of a blood vessel.
His health had been in decline following the death of his sister, Fanny, earlier that year. Mendelssohn was deeply affected by her passing, and it is believed that the emotional strain on a person of his intense sensibility contributed to the deterioration of his physical well-being.1