In which city did J.R.R. Tolkien die?

J.R.R. Tolkien died in Bournemouth.

Tolkien died on 2 September 1973 in Bournemouth, a coastal town in Dorset, England. He was 81 years old. His wife, Edith Tolkien, had died in 1971, and Tolkien was buried with her in Wolvercote Cemetery in Oxford.

Bournemouth was associated with Tolkien’s later years, but Oxford is more closely linked with his academic career and his fictional work. He taught at Oxford for decades, belonged to literary circles there, and developed much of the mythology of Middle-earth while living in and around the city.

Tolkien’s death came after the publication of his best-known books, including The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The Silmarillion, assembled and edited by his son Christopher from Tolkien’s extensive papers, was published posthumously in 1977.