On 7 February 1979, while visiting his friends Wolfram and Liselotte Bossert in the coastal resort of Bertioga, he suffered another stroke while swimming and drowned.
O 7 de febreiro de 1979, durante unha visita ós seus amigos Wolfram e Liselotte Bossert no complexo turístico costeiro de Bertioga, sufriu outro ictus mentres nadaba no mar e afogou.