Sylvia Plath, one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century, died on February 11, 1963, at the age of 30. She committed suicide by inhaling gas from her kitchen oven, while her two young children were sleeping in the next room.

Plath's death came at a time when she was struggling with depression, a failed marriage, and a sense of isolation. Her poetry had always been marked by a deep sense of despair and a preoccupation with death, and her final months were no exception. In her last poems, she wrote about her desire for death, even as she expressed a longing for life.

One of Plath's most famous poems, "Lady Lazarus," is a haunting meditation on death and rebirth. In the poem, Plath imagines herself as a kind of phoenix, rising from the ashes of her own destruction. She writes:

Dying Is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well.

Plath's death has been the subject of much speculation and analysis over the years. Some have suggested that her suicide was the result of a mental illness, while others have pointed to the pressures of her personal life and the constraints of the patriarchal society in which she lived.

Whatever the cause, Plath's death has had a profound impact on the literary world. Her poetry continues to inspire readers and writers alike, and her legacy as one of the most important voices of the 20th century remains secure.