Editing Hercule Poirot (section)

=== Death ===

On the ITV television series, Poirot died in October 1949{{efn|The extensive letter addressed to Hastings where he explains how he solved the case is dated from October 1949 <ref>"Curtain", 2013</ref>}} from complications of a heart condition at the end of ''[[Curtain: Poirot's Last Case|Curtain]]''. This took place at Styles Court, the scene of his first English case in 1916. In Christie's novels, he lived into the early 1970s, perhaps even until 1975 when ''Curtain'' was published. 

In ''Curtain'', Poirot himself became a murderer, in order to prevent further murders instigated by a man who manipulated others to kill for him, subtly and psychologically manipulating the moments where others desire to commit murder so that they carry out the crime when they might otherwise dismiss their thoughts as nothing more than a momentary passion. Poirot executed the man, as otherwise he would have continued his actions and never been convicted. 

Poirot himself died shortly after having committed murder. He had moved his [[amyl nitrite]] pills out of his own reach, possibly because of guilt. Poirot himself noted that he wanted to kill his victim shortly before his own death so that he could avoid succumbing to the arrogance of the murderer, concerned that he might come to view himself as entitled to kill those whom he deemed necessary to eliminate.

It is revealed at the end of ''Curtain'' that he fakes his need for a wheelchair to fool people into believing that he is suffering from [[arthritis]], to give the impression that he is more infirm than he is. His last recorded words are "''Cher ami!''", spoken to Hastings as the Captain left his room. The TV adaptation adds that as Poirot is dying alone, he whispers out his final prayer to God in these words: "Forgive me... forgive...". Poirot was buried at Styles, and his funeral was arranged by his best friend Hastings and Hastings' daughter Judith. Hastings reasoned, "Here was the spot where he had lived when he first came to this country. He was to lie here at the last."

Poirot's actual death and funeral occurred in ''Curtain'', years after his retirement from the active investigation, but it was not the first time that Hastings attended the funeral of his best friend. In ''The Big Four'' (1927), Poirot feigned his death and subsequent funeral to launch a surprise attack on the Big Four.