Can you die of a broken heart?
We've all heard the phrase, ‘they died of a broken heart’; a widow passes away shortly after losing her husband, a character in a novel fades with grief after the death of a loved one, someone experiences heartbreak so profound that it seems almost impossible to survive, but can you really die of a broken heart?
For centuries, people have used the idea of a broken heart to describe overwhelming grief and loss. While it was once thought to be purely poetic, modern medicine suggests there may be more truth to the phrase than we once realised.
The broken heart in literature and culture
The idea of heartbreak as a life-threatening force appears in literature throughout history. In Shakespeare's King Lear, the ageing king dies moments after the death of his beloved daughter, Cordelia. While Shakespeare never uses the modern phrase "broken heart syndrome", the implication is clear: Lear's grief is so overwhelming that he cannot go on living.
'“might have saved her; now she's gone for ever. Cordelia, Cordelia, stay a little.”
- King Lear, Act 5, Scene 3
Aiden Turner and Monica Barbaro as Valmont and Tourvel.
Image credit: Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the National Theatre, photographer Sarah Lee
One of literature's clearest examples of dying from a broken heart is Madame de Tourvel in Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' 1782 novel Dangerous Liaisons. A deeply moral and religious woman, who is already married, Tourvel falls in love with the charming but manipulative Valmont, only to discover that their relationship was part of a cruel wager. Consumed by grief and emotional anguish, she retreats from the world and gradually wastes away.
"I am truly grieved to add new griefs...nothing now can be done for our unhappy friend but to deplore her fate. We lost her at eleven o'clock last night..."
- Dangerous Liaisons, Letter 165.
Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw in the 2026 film,Wuthering Heights.
Image credit: Entertainment Weekly
Perhaps the most famous "death from a broken heart" in literature is Catherine Earnshaw in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. Torn between her passionate love for Heathcliff and the social security offered by Edgar Linton, Catherine becomes physically and emotionally depleted. While her death is attributed to illness, Brontë presents heartbreak as a powerful force in her decline, creating one of literature's most enduring portrayals of love so intense that it seems impossible to survive.
“The flash of her eyes had been succeeded by a dreamy and melancholy softness; they no longer gave the impression of looking at the objects around her: they appeared always to gaze beyond, and far beyond—you would have said out of this world . . . and to any person who saw her, I should think—refuted more tangible proofs of convalescence, and stamped her as one doomed to decay.” - Wuthering Heights, chapter 14.
Another strong example is Margaret ("Little Nell")'s grandfather in Charles Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop (1841). After Nell's death, Dickens explicitly portrays her grandfather as unable to recover from the loss, and he dies not long afterwards, lying on her gravestone, having been overwhelmed by grief. Victorian readers widely interpreted this as a death caused by sorrow and a broken heart.
“The last time was on a genial day in spring. He did not return at the usual hour, and they went to seek him. He was lying dead upon the stone. They laid him by the side of her whom he had loved so well; and, in the church where they had often prayed, and mused, and lingered hand in hand, the child and the old man slept together.”
- The Old Curiosity Shop, chapter 72.
A more modern literary example can be found in Winston Graham's Poldark novels. Hugh Armitage falls deeply in love with Demelza Poldark while battling an illness. He dreams of a future with her, but Demelza ultimately chooses to remain with her husband, Ross. Hugh's health deteriorates rapidly and he dies soon afterwards. Although illness is the immediate cause of death, Graham presents heartbreak as an inseparable part of Hugh's tragic story, echoing the long literary tradition of heartbreak so powerful its results are deadly.
For much of history, however, there was little scientific evidence to support the idea that heartbreak could affect the heart itself.
Hugh and Demelza, Poldark, BBC TV series 2015.
Image credit: PBS.org
What does the science say?
Today, doctors recognise a condition called Takotsubo syndrome, often referred to as broken heart syndrome. First identified in Japan in the 1990s, the condition can occur following a period of intense emotional or physical stress. The loss of a loved one, a serious illness, a traumatic event or even extreme shock can sometimes trigger it.
People with broken heart syndrome often experience symptoms similar to a heart attack, including chest pain, breathlessness and changes visible on heart scans. Unlike a typical heart attack, however, there may be no blocked arteries. Instead, researchers believe a surge of stress hormones temporarily stuns the heart and affects its ability to pump effectively.
In 2025, Brenda Young, a 57-year-old social worker from Scotland, experienced Takotsubo syndrome shortly after witnessing her mother's death. Within minutes, she developed intense chest pain and was taken to hospital, where doctors initially suspected a heart attack. Further tests revealed that her heart muscle had been temporarily weakened by the extreme emotional stress of her bereavement. Brenda later joined a ground-breaking clinical trial investigating treatments for the condition.
However, not everyone who experiences profound grief develops heart problems, and most people who do experience broken heart syndrome survive and recover. Also, when someone dies shortly after a bereavement, it can be difficult to know whether grief was the direct cause or whether other underlying health conditions were involved. In other words, while grief can have a powerful effect on the body, the evidence does not suggest that a broken heart alone commonly causes death.
The long term effects of loneliness
When loneliness lingers for weeks, months, or even years, it can begin to affect far more than our mood. Beyond the immediate stress caused by the shock of profound loss, it can have a severe long-term impact on our physical health, too. People experiencing loneliness are at increased risk of heart disease, stroke, anxiety, depression and poorer physical wellbeing.
This is because the stress of loss triggers the release of hormones such as cortisol. While these hormones are useful during short-term challenges, long periods of elevated stress can begin to affect multiple systems within the body. Persistent loneliness has been linked to increased blood pressure, poorer sleep, inflammation, reduced immune function and a greater risk of cardiovascular disease.
Many bereaved people describe symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, headaches, chest tightness, digestive problems or a feeling of being physically drained. These symptoms are not "all in the mind". They are often a reflection of the body's response to prolonged grief and isolation. Researchers have also found that people who report frequent loneliness are significantly more likely to experience poor physical and mental health outcomes than those who do not feel lonely.
More than a metaphor
Perhaps the most important lesson is that grief is not "just" an emotion. It can affect our sleep, appetite, concentration, immune system and physical health. The pain of loss is real, and so are its physical effects on the body.
So, can you die of a broken heart? In rare cases, severe emotional stress can trigger a genuine heart condition that affects a person's health. But for most people, a broken heart is something they learn to live with rather than die from. The scars may remain, yet with time, support and compassion, many people find a way to carry their grief forward while continuing to live a meaningful life.
For more information on Takotsubo syndrome and available support, follow the links below.
References
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/takotsubo-cardiomyopathy-broken-heart-syndrome
https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1513631-overview
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/takotsubo-cardiomyopathy
https://www.cardiomyopathy.org/sites/default/files/2023-09/Takotsubo%20Syndrome_Feb_22_0.pdf
https://people.com/broken-heart-syndrom-first-clinical-trial-11978612
https://www.cdc.gov/social-connectedness/risk-factors/index.html
