Although he died of lung cancer at age 35, he led a very healthy lifestyle and was in good health up to less than one year before his death in May 1984. He didn't drink regularly and was a vegetarian. Although he had smoked when he was younger, he hadn't done so in years; even when doing his Tony Clifton character, he never inhaled the smoke. Kaufman speculated that he may have developed lung cancer through second-hand smoke while performing in nightclubs and concert halls throughout his career when in-door public smoking was still legal during that time.