How old was Carl Sagan when he died?

Carl Sagan was 62 years old when he died.

Sagan was born on November 9, 1934, and died on December 20, 1996. Because his death came just over a month after his 62nd birthday, the age is straightforward: he was 62, not 61 or 63. He died in Seattle from pneumonia after a prolonged illness involving myelodysplasia.

His age at death is often remembered alongside the remarkable breadth of his career. By his early sixties, Sagan had worked on NASA missions, taught at Cornell University, researched planetary atmospheres, helped popularize the search for extraterrestrial life, and narrated the television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage.

Sagan’s public influence continued after his death. His books, including Contact and The Demon-Haunted World, remained widely read, while projects linked to his legacy carried forward interests in planetary exploration, scientific skepticism, and the possibility of life beyond Earth. His relatively early death therefore closed an active career rather than a conventional retirement.