Later+Life+and+Death

Illness
There are many different diseases that people believe Edgar had. He had a horrible drinking problem throughout his life. He also was diagnosed with heart disease. When Poe was told this he denied it. In letters that he wrote to his wife Virginia, he said that he had cholera and was in so much pain, he could barely hold his pen. One nurse thought that Edgar might have had brain fever also. Some believe that Edgar suffered from mass depression. Others say that Edgar had rabies, tuberculosis, diabetes, or epilepsy. There are many theories but because Edgar did not have an autopsy after his death, nobody can know if Edgar had some of these diseases for sure.

Death
Edgar's death is a crazy mystery that has many different theories. After being found in a gutter wearing somebody else's clothes, Edgar was taken to the hospital where he died. Some say that Edgar died because of his drinking problems but this theory doesn't explain much about where he was found and why he was dressed in somebody else's clothing. Edgar died on election day in Baltimore so others believe that Edgar was kidnapped by a gang and forced to drink massive amounts of alcohol and vote for the same person over and over but he had to change clothes in between so he would not get caught. There are surely other theories on Edgar's death but it is hard to say that any one will ever know what truly happened to him. It will most likely remain a mystery.

How Poe is Remembered
Edgar Allan Poe has had a huge impact on literature. He is given credit for the first mystery story. Almost all children in America read Edgar Allan Poe's poems or short stories in or out of school. Most people would agree that Edgar Allan Poe is the most famous American author of all time. America is proud to say that Edgar is from America like England is proud to say that Shakespeare was English. Although Edgar Allan Poe has been dead for more than a century, his stories have survived. Surely they will survive for many more centuries in the future.