On this day in 1983, Tennessee Williams died.

Williams died on February 24, 1983, after he choked on an eyedrop bottle cap in his room at the Hotel Elysee in New York. He would routinely place the cap in his mouth, lean back, and place his eyedrops in each eye.[4] The police report, however, suggested his use of drugs and alcohol contributed to his death. Many toxic drugs were found in the room. Williams’ gag response may have been diminished by the effects of drugs and alcohol.

Williams’ funeral took place on Saturday March 3, 1983 at St. Malachy’s Roman Catholic Church in New York City. Williams’ body was interred in the Calvary Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri. Williams had long told his friends he wanted to be buried at sea at approximately the same place as the poet Hart Crane, as he considered Crane to be one of his most significant influences.

Williams left his literary rights to The University of the South in honor of his grandfather, Walter Dakin, an alumnus of the university. It is located in Sewanee, Tennessee. The funds support a creative writing program. When his sister Rose died after many years in a mental institution, she bequeathed over 50 million dollars from her part of the Williams estate to The University of the South as well.

In 1989, the University City Loop (in a suburb of St. Louis) inducted Tennessee Williams into its St. Louis Walk of Fame.

I remember hearing the news that Tennessee Williams had died I was busy re-arranging furniture and I was just getting ready to move the tv stand when the news came over the radio.

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