how did doc holliday die
Doc Holliday died from tuberculosis on November 8, 1887, at age 36 in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
His battle with the disease, known then as consumption, defined his final years and led him west seeking drier climates and remedies like the local hot springs.
Final Days
Doc Holliday arrived in Glenwood Springs in the summer of 1887, hoping the sulfur springs would ease his worsening symptoms—he was already using a cane, coughing constantly, and suffering delirium.
By early October, pneumonia complicated his tuberculosis, leaving him bedridden and silent for weeks; his longtime companion Kate Elder (Big Nose Kate) stayed by his side, caring for him devotedly.
On his last morning, legend says he requested whiskey, savored it, glanced at his bare feet, and remarked, “This is funny” —expecting to die in a gunfight with boots on, not peacefully in bed.
Key Facts
- Date & Place: November 8, 1887, Hotel Glenwood (now part of Glenwood Springs history).
- Primary Cause : Tuberculosis, contracted likely in dental school; pneumonia as immediate factor.
- Age : 36 years old, prematurely gray and frail from lifelong illness.
- Burial : Linwood Cemetery above Glenwood Springs; grave visited by hikers today.
Context & Legends
Holliday's death contrasted his gunslinger image from the 1881 O.K. Corral gunfight alongside Wyatt Earp—no blaze of glory, just a quiet end to a consumptive gambler-dentist.
Wyatt Earp learned of it two months later; Kate later confirmed her presence, countering some myths.
TL;DR : Tuberculosis claimed Doc Holliday in 1887 after failed Glenwood Springs cure attempts; his witty last words highlight the irony of a fighter dying in bed.
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