Biography of Alexander Pope, England's Most Quoted Poet

On May 30, 1744, Alexander Pope, English poet, died at the age of 56.
From the article:

"Final Years and Legacy
After 1738, Pope mostly stopped producing new work. He began working on additions and revisions to the Dunciad, publishing a new “book” in 1742 and a complete revision in 1743. In the new version, Pope more clearly satirized and criticized Horace Walpole, a Whig politician who was in power and who Pope blamed for many of the problems in British society.

By that point, however, Pope’s lifelong poor health was catching up to him. He had suffered from chronic pain, respiratory problems, a hunchback, frequent high fevers, and other problems since childhood. In 1744, his doctor reassured him that he was improving, but Pope only made a joke and accepted his fate. He received the last rites of the Catholic Church on May 29, 1744 and died at his villa, surrounded by his friends, the following day. He was buried at St. Mary’s Church in Twickenham.

In the decades following his death, Pope’s poetry went out of fashion for a time. While Lord Byron cited Pope’s poetry as an inspiration, others, such as William Wordsworth, criticized it for being too elegant or decadent. However, in the 20th century, interest in Pope’s poetry had a resurgence, and his reputation was elevated along with this new wave of interest. In these recent decades, his reputation has rebounded to the point of being considered one of the greatest English poets of all time, thanks to his thoughtful, ever-quotable writing."