How Did Jackson Pollock Die?
Jackson Pollock died on 11 August 1956 in a drunk driving crash near his home on Long Island. He was 44, and he was at the wheel.
The accident killed one of his passengers as well, a grim end to a life already unravelling from alcoholism.
The crash
Late one night, drunk, Pollock crashed his car not far from his house in Springs, on the eastern end of Long Island.
He was thrown from the vehicle and killed instantly, along with one of the two young women riding with him. The other survived.
A life already breaking
By 1956 Pollock had largely stopped painting. His drinking, which he had fought for years, had taken hold again, and his marriage to the painter Lee Krasner was in crisis.
Krasner was in Europe at the time of the crash. The drip paintings that made him famous were already behind him.
The survivor and the grave
In the car with Pollock were Ruth Kligman, with whom he was having an affair, and her friend Edith Metzger. Kligman survived the crash, but Metzger was killed, an innocent passenger caught in his self destruction.
Pollock was buried in Green River Cemetery on Long Island, under a large boulder. His widow, the painter Lee Krasner, went on to manage his estate for decades, and the value of his work climbed steeply after his death.
What people ask about Pollock's death
When did he die?
11 August 1956.
How?
A drunk driving car crash he caused.
How old was he?
Forty four.
Did anyone else die?
Yes, one of his passengers was killed.
The myth and the wreck
Pollock death at 44 helped seal his legend as a doomed American genius, but the reality was a preventable tragedy that killed an innocent passenger too. His full story is in the Jackson Pollock guide.