History Main / IncurableCoughOfDeath

** When [[spoiler:King Joffrey]] drinks a goblet of poisoned wine and begins to cough, it's immediately obvious that he's going to be dead in the next couple of minutes.
** PlayedWith when Jon Snow suffers a serious coughing fit after downing a GargleBlaster offered by Mance Rayder.

* French playwright and actor Molière, who suffered from tuberculosis, is famous for having collapsed into a coughing fit while performing in the last play he wrote, ironically titled ''[[Theatre/TheImaginaryInvalid The Hypochondriac]]'' (''Le Malade imaginaire''). Despite coughing up blood, he insisted on finishing the performance. Afterward he had another fit of coughing and hemorrhaging before being taken home, where he died a few hours later.

* In ''Series/{{Deadwood}}'', Doc Cochrane begins hacking up blood in the third season, and Silas and others describe him as "a lunger", implied to be tuberculosis. Cochrane starts getting depressed, but Swearengen gives him a tough-love pep-talk, telling him that he isn't dead yet and to get back to work. Of course, the fact that Cochrane is the only doctor in town means Swearengen and the rest of the town residents rely on him. [[spoiler:Subverted, since the Doc lives to the end of the series.]]

** In ''Trials And Tribulations'', [[spoiler:Terry Fawles]] falls victim to this in case 4 from ingesting poison.
** Subverted in ''Spirit Of Justice'', as it is suggested that [[spoiler:Dhurke Sahdmadhi]] died this way, but it is actually found out that [[spoiler:it was blood from gunshot wounds.]] This reveal, however, helps dissipate most of (if not all) the suspicion surrounding that case's defendant.

** Also subverted in ''The Great Ace Attorney'' with Inspector Hosonaga. From the moment he is introduced, he is seen to have violent coughing fits that include BloodFromTheMouth, all in a case where the cause of death of the victim is poison. However, in his case it turns out to be a RedHerring; his condition has nothing to do with the case at hand (and is never actually gone into at all, even in the subsequent cases he appears in).

* ''VideoGame/SyphonFilter 2'': Lian Xing's main symptom after being infected with TheVirus.
* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'':
** When "Archangel" was active on Omega [[VigilanteMan "cleaning house"]], there was a serial killer who also was a biologist specialized in virology. His cause of death was found to be "a cough". Since the killer was a quarian, a species known for having incredibly weak immune systems, "Archangel" simply ''coughed on him'' to kill him.
** The quarantine in Omega is in place because of a disease that starts off as a simple cough...
---> "It starts out as a cough, then you start coughing blood. And then... well. Then I shoot you."
* ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'':
** If he survived ''2'', Thane Krios is coughing when met in ''3''. In this case, it's justified as his illness is stated to be Kepral's Syndrome, a drell-specific condition where their lungs slowly fill with fluid. By the time of ''3'', he says he was given 3 months to live... 9 months ago. [[spoiler:He'll later be seriously wounded and die due to complications resulting from his illness, keeping with the trope]].
** Eve is a female krogan shaman who became immune to the [[SterilityPlague genophage]] inflicted upon her species after some well-intentioned but barbaric experimentation. She coughs during conversations with the player if they previously chose to destroy said experimentation data in ''2'', and sure enough dies later on if this is the case.
* In ''VideoGame/MetroExodus'', tuberculosis is one the main killers in post-apocalyptic Russia.

* In ''VideoGame/InFamous2'': The hero's buddy, Zeke develops a cough soon after the plague becomes a part of the plot.

* ComicBook/TheJoker in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' has a cough that gets more pronounced as the game goes on, thanks to his TITAN poisoning from the last game. [[spoiler:This is also one of the few cases where JokerImmunity gets thrown out the window.]]
* Zhuge Liang in ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors 6''. Oddly, he actually survives, unlike the real person.
** Guo Huai in ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors 7'' has this as his primary character trait. He still manages to kick all kinds of ass with his [[AnachronismStew ancient Chinese machine gun]], despite keeling over after performing most of his special attacks.
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/TraumaTeam'' when [[spoiler:Naomi Kimishima]] coughs up blood near the end of the game, a symptom of the fatal Rosalia virus. It turns out to be the virus, but she's saved from it by [[PlayerCharacter CR-S01]].

--->'''Phoenix''': Maybe he coughed it up?

* Marty has one of these in ''Fanfic/NoAntidote''.

* Strangely enough, [[spoiler:Ram]] in ''Film/{{Tron}}'' starts coughing after being mortally wounded.

** Towards the end of the story, [[spoiler:Arthur is diagnosed with tuberculosis, and his coughing gets progressively worse. Unlike many video game examples of this trope, Arthur starts taking stat penalties as his condition worsens. By the end, he ultimately [[TheHeroDies succumbs to it]]. The unusually quick progression of the disease is most likely because Arthur suffers from a variety of harsh conditions (such as being taken captive and tortured in chapter 2) which would make him extra-vulnerable.]]

* In ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', Yoda's imminent death is heralded by his rather nasty cough in his last scene while alive, although he apparently dies of simple old age -- perhaps his weakened immune system couldn't stand the swampy air of Dagobah?

* In the series ''Series/{{Sloborn}}, this is one of the earlier-occurring symptoms during the course of a pigeon flu infection. It comes with fever and BloodFromTheMouth.

** Parodied in the episode "[[Recap/SouthParkS5E13KennyDies Kenny Dies]]". Kenny randomly starts coughing during one scene, and if you can't guess where it leads to, take another look at the episode title. (Probably Muscular Dystrophy, judging from the vague descriptions we get.)

This was averted in [[https://www.wattpad.com/story/325408590-the-frozen-heart%27s-star The Frozen Heart's Star]], because in [[https://www.wattpad.com/1281487782-the-frozen-heart%27s-star-chapter-5-another-frozen Chapter 5]], poor little Franchise/{{Kirby}} gets this the moment his heart gets frozen, and [[https://www.wattpad.com/1281488049-the-frozen-heart%27s-star-chapter-6-trying-to-save three]] [[https://www.wattpad.com/1281488390-the-frozen-heart%27s-star-chapter-7-never-gonna-lose chapters]] [[https://www.wattpad.com/1281488603-the-frozen-heart%27s-star-chapter-8-the-end-of-kirby later]]... '''[[Main/HeroicSacrifice he froze to death]]'''. However, [[spoiler:by [[https://www.wattpad.com/1281494412-the-frozen-heart%27s-star-chapter-16-the-ultimate Chapter 16]], he gets better.]]

This was averted in [[https://www.wattpad.com/story/325408590-the-frozen-heart%27s-star]], because in [[https://www.wattpad.com/1281487782-the-frozen-heart%27s-star-chapter-5-another-frozen Chapter 5]], poor little Franchise/{{Kirby}} gets this the moment his heart gets frozen, and [[https://www.wattpad.com/1281488049-the-frozen-heart%27s-star-chapter-6-trying-to-save three]] [[https://www.wattpad.com/1281488390-the-frozen-heart%27s-star-chapter-7-never-gonna-lose chapters]] [[https://www.wattpad.com/1281488603-the-frozen-heart%27s-star-chapter-8-the-end-of-kirby later]]... '''[[Main/HeroicSacrifice he froze to death]]'''. However, [[spoiler:by [[https://www.wattpad.com/1281494412-the-frozen-heart%27s-star-chapter-16-the-ultimate Chapter 16]], he gets better.]]

Of course, in real life, people cough all the time from non-life-threatening causes, but those generally don't make for interesting stories. Think of this trope as the medical variant of ChekhovsGun: if someone coughs in the first act, they better be dead by the third. [[note]]Coincidentally, Chekhov himself died of tuberculosis, which he contracted sometime in 1884, finally succumbing to it in 1904, after a good twenty years that are widely considered his most productive period as a writer. Note that Chekhov being a doctor had little to do with his unusually long lifespan after diagnosis: before streptomycin, there was no known effective treatment or cure for TB.[[/note]] The LawOfConservationOfDetail also applies.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'': ''Series/IClaudius'' is [[ShoutOut Referenced]] in an episode when [[TheCaligula Emperor Cartagia]] introduces Londo to his... "[[OffWithHisHead Shadow cabinet]]"; he mentions one of the cabinet members was "always coughing... Most distressing, but we finally managed to cure it."

** PlayedWith in the MadeForTVMovie ''The River of Souls'', when a [[OurSoulsAreDifferent Soul Hunter]] arrives on the station. It is mentioned that Soul Hunters always appear shortly before someone important dies... and [[DaChief Zack Allen]] coughs. PlayedForLaughs when he immediately begins protesting that he's ''not'' sick, is ''not'' dying, and only coughed because his throat itched.

* ''Series/BleakHouse'':
** The 2005 BBC adaptation by Creator/CharlesDickens; Richard Carstone works himself to death over the Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce case in hopes of getting his inheritance for himself and his pregnant wife, Ada... rather than staying alive by going to the doctor's and getting a regular night's sleep so he can provide for them. Plenty of "it's nothing!"s and "it's just a cold!" abound. Esther asks Woodcourt to keep an eye on him, and Ada is clearly worried - she tries to persuade Richard several times to give up the case. Apart from that, there's not much they can do, which is one reason why his decline is so painful to watch - everyone knows Richard is sick, but he is a) deeply in denial, and b) obsessed with the court case to the point that nothing else matters to him.

* The ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' episode "Lies My Parents Told Me" indicates (in flashback) that Spike's mother won't have long to live when she coughs a bit of blood into her handkerchief.

* Episode "Awakened" of ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' opens with Piper coughing up a storm and Phoebe trying to convince her to go home and rest. Piper insists she's fine. She collapses two minutes later. She's in a coma within a day. Her life is only saved via magic, conventional medicine is shown to be unable to save her.
* In the Miniseries ''Series/{{Chernobyl}},'' Party Bureaucrat Boris Shcherbina develops [[Main/BloodFromTheMouth a bloody cough]] during the trial, indicating that he has a terminal illness from radiation exposure in the exclusion zone.
* In an early episode of Scottish SketchShow ''Series/ChewinTheFat'', Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill are discussing movie tropes, one of which being that the minute you see a young child (no matter how healthy she may seem) cough, she's probably going to die.
* ''{{Series/The Chosen|TVSeries}}'':

* Subverted in ''Series/CriminalMinds'' episode "North Mammon". Three teenaged girls were kidnapped by a man and held in a cold, damp cellar. Just before this happened, one of the girls had coughed, indicating that she was getting a cold. [[spoiler:That same girl grew worse and worse in health due to her surroundings as she and her friends were locked up. In order to be let go, the kidnapper made the friends choose among themselves which one of them would die in order for the other two to be let go. One of the healthier girls made up her mind to kill the sick girl and was trying to convince the other healthier girl to help, but in the end the sick girl bashed the former's head in with a hammer in order to survive. She and her remaining friend made it out of the cellar alive, but horribly shaken up from the experience.]]

* In ''{{Series/Deadwood}}'', Doc Cochrane begins hacking up blood in the third season, and Silas and others describe him as "a lunger", implied to be tuberculosis. Cochrane starts getting depressed, but Swearengen gives him a tough-love pep-talk, telling him that he isn't dead yet and to get back to work. Of course, the fact that Cochrane is the only doctor in town means Swearengen and the rest of the town residents rely on him. [[spoiler:Subverted, since the Doc lives to the end of the series.]]
* Don Fernando in the ridiculously {{Narm}}y educational Spanish-learning program ''Series/{{Destinos}}'' has one of these. He has it throughout the entire 52-episode series and doesn't die. Supposedly, he dies of it after the end.

** In early serial [[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E7TheSensorites "The Sensorites"]], Ian develops a case of this. He goes from coughing to unconscious and dying in about two minutes. Fortunately, he has a natural immunity — he's a program regular. (That didn't stop some viewers from mistaking William Russell's acting-cough for an on-camera bout of real real-life choking — a different kind of ICOD.)
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E9TheEmptyChild "The Empty Child"]]: The elderly Dr. Constantine is seen coughing. He believes that he's dying, but instead of keeling over, he turns into a gas mask zombie. In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E10TheDoctorDances the following episode]], it's revealed that [[spoiler:the gas mask zombies are the result of extraterrestrial medical nanomachines attempting to heal sick and injured humans based on a holotype created from a dead child that was wearing a gas mask, implying that Dr. Constantine actually was on the verge of death]].

* On ''Series/{{Lost}}'', Richard's wife dies shortly after coughing up blood. The soundtrack identifies her illness as pneumonia. This occurs in 1867 in an isolated town on the Canary Islands, so her prognosis is reasonable.

* In the ''Series/{{Numb3rs}}'' episode, "Janus List", the a bomber, Taylor Ashby coughed a few times in the beginning before being blown up by one of his bombs. Later, it was revealed that he was poisoned and that he only have a short time to live even if he wasn't burned.

* In one ''Series/{{Sliders}}'' episode, they end up in a world where a disease ("The Q") is spreading throughout the world, and wiping out humanity [[spoiler:because, as a paranoidly clean society, they never discovered penicillin]]. Anyone who coughs has the disease (and often try to cover it up).
* In one arc of ''Series/{{Spooks}}'' the team is dealing with a biological weapon that's been smuggled out of Iran. Carriers are asymptomatic for the first 20 hours or so, but when they start coughing up blood they become contagious and die soon afterwards, though [[spoiler:the team is able to secure an antidote from Russian intelligence]].

* ''Series/TheWalkingDead:''

* Parodied on ''Series/TheCarolBurnettShow'' when they did a sketch called "Lovely Story" (a parody of ''Film/LoveStory''). Jenny (played by Carol Burnett) coughs twice, and five minutes later, she's dead. [[spoiler:At the very end of the sketch, the doctor tells Oliver (played by Harvey Korman) that the only thing they know about the disease that killed Jenny was very contagious. Oliver coughs twice, and drops dead.]]

* The 2005 BBC adaptation of ''Series/BleakHouse'' by Creator/CharlesDickens; Richard Carstone works himself to death over the Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce case in hopes of getting his inheritance for himself and his pregnant wife, Ada... rather than staying alive by going to the doctor's and getting a regular night's sleep so he can provide for them. Plenty of "it's nothing!"s and "it's just a cold!" abound, and NO ONE forces him to get help until it's too late.
** Actually, they DO try. Esther asks Woodcourt to keep an eye on him, and Ada is clearly worried - she tries to persuade Richard several times to give up the case. Apart from that, there's not much they can do, which is one reason why his decline is so painful to watch - everyone knows Richard is sick, but he is a) deeply in denial, and b) obsessed with the court case to the point that nothing else matters to him.
** Jo also contracts some sort of illness (in the book it's smallpox) that causes him to cough blood. Unlike Richard, he does try to seek medical help, however a crooked lawyer tells a constable to force the boy to stay away from people. Ultimately he is found by most of the main cast and brought in for rest. Though he still dies, he at least is safe and relieved of feelings of guilt (worried that he caused Esther to die of the disease as well).

* Subverted in the ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'' sketch [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vNJ5Krj7SQ "The Man Who Has A Cough And It's Just A Cough And He's Fine"]] - an Edwardian man reguarly meets his lover at the railway station, his cough getting worse each day, despite his insistence that "it's just a cough." Then one day, the woman gets off the train, and finds him gone… only for him to enter in perfect health. Confused, she says she thought he had TB. Surprised, he says he certainly would have mentioned something like that. No, it was actually just a cough.
-->'''Woman:''' Right. Wish I hadn't let you do me, now.

* Parodied on ''Series/TheCarolBurnettShow'' when they did a sketch called "Lovely Story" (a parody of ''Film/LoveStory''). Jenny (played by Carol Burnett) coughs twice, and five minutes later, she's dead.
** [[spoiler:At the very end of the sketch, the doctor tells Oliver (played by Harvey Korman) that the only thing they know about the disease that killed Jenny was very contagious. Oliver coughs twice, and drops dead.]]

** Thomas Downes, the person who intervenes in the fight between Arthur and Valentine's local brute Tommy, has a pretty nasty cough when you meet him for the first time, and dies of it about 1/3 of the way into the game.[[spoiler:But not before infecting Arthur with his [=TB=] while Arthur tries to collect a debt from him, resulting in Arthur's death by the end of the story.]]

* According to ''[[Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse Doctor Who: The Adventure Games - City of the Daleks]]'', getting caught in a paradox will not only cause you to fade into non-existence, Film/BackToTheFuture style, but will also give you a really bad cough. Yeah.

Sister trope of DeadlyNosebleed. Compare SoapOperaDisease and VictorianNovelDisease. If the character insists that it's nothing, then it's DefinitelyJustACold. The trope may also lead to a HealthcareMotivation. Compare WringEveryLastDropOutOfHim. Generally speaking, a single cough is safe as it normally is used to gain attention or signal embarrassment.