After suffering from myelodysplasia for two years and receiving three bone marrow transplants from his sister, Carol, Sagan died from pneumonia at the age of 62, at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, in the early morning of December 20, 1996.
Dous anos despois de diagnosticárselle unha mielodisplasia, e despois de someterse a tres transplantes de medula ósea procedente da súa irmá, Sagan faleceu de pneumonía ós 62 anos de idade no Centro de Investigación do Cancro Fred Hutchinson de Seattle, Washington, o 20 de decembro de 1996.