History Main / DieLaughing

* ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'': After Eggsy and Harry kill Poppy Adams by drugging her with her own heroin, she laughs maniacally as she falls over and dies, moments after telling them the code to release the antidote. This serves to highlight her psychotic nature.

* One of the various ways to die in ''VideoGame/TheSims4'' is for your Sim too become too playful, an emotional state called, "hysterical." If they don't calm down fast, they will die laughing.

* In ''VisualNovel/DiesIrae'' at the end of Marie's route [[spoiler:Reinhard starts to laugh as the Bois de Justice is digging itself into his neck, content over the battle he just had and having been completly blindsided by his great granddaughter Rea]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'' episode "A Party For Tarzan", Henchman 21 recalls when a previous archenemy of The Monarch suddenly died of ''happiness'' right in front him. 21 also mentions that this also happened to two teenagers, who also died of "happiness" after they managed to get a high score on an arcade game.

* In ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'', [[VideoGame/TwistedMetal Needles Kane AKA Sweet Tooth]] falls victim to the [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Joker Venom]]. He tries to strangle The Joker, but the venom claims his life before that can happen.[[/folder]]

** Sirius Black gets offed mid-laugh. His cousin and murderer, Bellatrix Lestrange, cops it exactly the same way from Molly Weasley.

* In ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' President Snow dies laughing after Katniss shoots Coin, having believed what he told her about Coin dropping the bombs that killed her little sister, Prim.

* The Greek philosopher Chrysippus is said to have died laughing when he gave his donkey wine and then watched it drunkenly attempt to eat figs. Doubles as DeathByIrony, as [[NotSoStoic the philosophy school he belonged to was Stoicism]].

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* The [[ManEatingPlant Nepenthes Dulcis]] found in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' incapacitates prey by inducing feelings of extreme happiness, letting it eat them while they're laughing all the way.
* In ''Webcomic/TheKamics'' this was a side effect of using the [[http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/The_KAMics/4806540/ Swiss Army Sword.]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}'', Lady Sylvia Lazarus laughs as she burns to death.
[[/folder]]

* In ''Literature/{{Holes}}'', Katherine "Kissin' Kate" Barlow was found by her old enemy Charles "Trout" Walker, [[ImpoverishedPatrician who had become destitute]] when a drought gripped the lake town his family owned. He and his wife Linda try to torture Kate for information on where she hid her loot, as she'd robbed several banks during her tenure as an outlaw and they're very desperate. Before they can do anything to her, however, a Yellow Spotted Lizard bites her on the ankle, which is an automatic death sentence. As "there was nothing more they could do to her now", Trout and Linda demand the answer before she dies and Kate simply tells them to [[FamousLastWords "start digging"]] and dies laughing at them.

* Joker venom is non-fatal in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''[[labelnote:*]]The creators of the series used The Joker's laughing gas a lot, explaining they had to fall back on something since the censors wouldn't let him shoot anyone. When they saw how the gas instead either left the victims frozen in place or laughing non-stop with their faces twisted into sick, frightening grins, they admitted, "Yeah, that's actually ''[[FateWorseThanDeath worse]]''."[[/labelnote]], but in both ''WesternAnimation/BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm'' and the ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' three-parter "World's Finest", the Joker finds his own [[JokerImmunity supposedly certain]] death to be uproariously funny. Ironically, he doesn't laugh at all when he met his true end in the flashback in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker'', leading to his FamousLastWords:

* Jack Vincennes does this in ''Film/LAConfidential'', after using his carefully chosen [[FamousLastWords last words]] to set up a trap for the man who killed him.

Sometimes when a character, especially a SadClown or PluckyComicRelief type, is facing death, they find the whole experience laugh-out-loud funny. Or sometimes, the laughter itself is what kills them, especially if they've just been hit with ComedyAsAWeapon. Either way, that's where this trope comes in. Can also overlap with LaughingMad, especially if the character is a villain who plans on TakingYouWithMe.

* In ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'', [[VideoGame/TwistedMetal Needles Kane AKA Sweet Tooth]] falls victim to the [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Joker Venom]], which, if you've read Joker's sections in the Western Animation and Comic Book sections, should explain pretty handily how that turned out for him.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmTVKuyyLLc This fandub]] of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' has [[spoiler: Dharkon laugh as he crashes into the ocean during the ''Restoration'' ending, content that Galeem died alongside him.]]
[[/folder]]

* Alex Mitchell found ''Series/TheGoodies'' episode "Kung Fu Kapers" so funny he laughed non-stop for ''[[RealityIsUnrealistic 25 minutes straight]]''. The strain on his heart was such that he suffered a fatal heart attack.[[note]]It was later found that he most likely had an undiagnosed heart disorder that the exertion of laughing had aggravated after his daughter was diagnosed with the same disorder many years later[[/note]] His widow sent the Goodies a letter thanking them for making his last moments so happy.

* Alex Mitchell found ''Series/TheGoodies'' episode "Kung Fu Kapers" so funny he laughed non-stop for ''[[RealityIsUnrealistic 25 minutes straight]]''. The strain on his heart was such that he suffered a fatal heart attack. His widow sent the Goodies a letter thanking them for making his last moments so happy.

* In one of the cut endings of ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic 2'', this is how [[spoiler: Atton dies, after fighting a futile battle against Darth Sion.]] The audio still exists in the game file, and it may be... [[TearJerker worth listening to.]]

''(Kefka starts laughing)''\\

'''Sephiroth:''' ''(to Kefka)'' Die laughing.

* [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Cut content from]] ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic II'' gives Atton a sad exit should he die fighting Darth Sion: "...hurts when I laugh... hurts..."

->''"Stop that laughing! Have you forgotten what happened last time? If you don't stop that laughing, you're gonna end up dead just like your idiot hyena cousins!"''

Sometimes when a character, especially a SadClown or PluckyComicRelief type, is facing death, they find the whole experience laugh-out-loud funny. Or sometimes, the laughter itself is what kills them, especially if they've just been hit with ComedyAsAWeapon. Either way, that's where this trope comes in. Can also overlap with LaughingMad.

->''"Stop that laughing! Have you forgotten what happened last time? If you don't stop that laughing, you're going to end up dead just like your idiot hyena cousins!"''

[[caption-width-right:308:At least he got the [[{{Pun}} last laugh]].]]

* In ''Film/DoctorStrange'', Snakebite Andi cackles psychotically after [[spoiler: forcing Billy to kill himself]] while she [[spoiler: disintegrates to death.]]

[[caption-width-right:308:At least he got the last laugh.]]

* In an ''Franchise/{{Archie|Comics}}'' story, Jughead is kidnapped in Mexico and Mr. Lodge is sent the ransom note. It's touch-and-go for a while, but Lodge pulls through.

%% * In ''Manga/AliveTheFinalEvolution'', victims of the 'suicide virus' gleefully kill themselves, sometimes relenting long enough to do something important to them or encourage others to do the same. Those who are infected with the virus but have yet to succumb to it, and witness the suicides aren't sure whether to be terrified or be jealous.