William Shakespeare, the Englishman who made news around the world as the first man to receive an authorized coronavirus vaccination, has died of a stroke unrelated to the virus or the vaccine, authorities in Britain said.
Shakespeare, 81, was the second person to be vaccinated on Dec. 8 at University Hospital Coventry, 100 miles northwest of London, shortly after Margaret Keenan, 91, received the first jab of Pfizer BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials. A few days later the massive U.S. vaccination campaign began.
Coventry politician Jayne Innes said Shakespeare died last week. "Greatly saddened and upset to hear our friend, the very lovely Bill Shakespeare, has passed away," Innes tweeted. "Bill will be remembered for many things, including a taste for mischief. He became an international sensation as the first man to receive a COVID vaccine."
Shakespeare's vaccination launched a social media play on words as “The Taming of the Flu” – a nod to the 16th-century play “The Taming of the Shrew.” His famous name helped put him on the front page of newspapers around the world, and Innes noted on Twitter that "our lovely friend Bill would never have dreamt his passing would make the New York Times."
England has one of the world's highest vaccination rates.
"He would always encourage everyone to get their vaccine," his wife, Joy, said in a statement. "It was something he was hugely proud of. He loved seeing the media coverage and the positive difference he was able to make to the lives of so many."
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