Neatorama has a nice post on ironic deaths:
NIC MARCURA, a Yugoslavian farmer
Story: Sensing that his own end was near, Marcura set to work digging his own grave.
Final Irony: According to news reports, “in a sudden cloudburst, water began to fill up the hole. Marcura tried to bail it out with a bucket, slipped in and drowned.”
[…]
JOHANN UNDERWALD, a Swiss mathematician
Story: Underwald, one of the brightest stars in his field, was described by his peers as “the next Albert Einstein.”
Final Irony: Underwald died in October 1999. Cause of death: mathematical error – Underwald “made a 250-foot bungee jump with a 300-foot bungee cord, and died immediately on impact.”
