Dylan Thomas (1914 – 1953)

“I’ve had eighteen straight whiskies. I think that’s the record!”

Just days before his death, Dylan Thomas a heavy drinker boasted about a drinking binge he’d been on at the White Horse tavern in New York. Following this, the 39 year old poet and writer became severely ill with a chest illness and slipped into a coma. He was taken to hospital but died days later – the official cause of death was pneumonia.