Has there been any study that analyses the frequency of natural death of one shortly after death of his/her partner. How different is that compared to what one would expect assuming statistical independence and based image and health adjusted mortality curves.

Does it say what happened?

Died of sadness did make me wonder about something self inflicted.

That's always a possibility but I've seen my Grandpa die of a broken heart after my Grandma died. The night of her funeral he asked his children if they thought someone could die of a broken heart and after that it took him less than a year to go himself. I'd never considered that saying to be true until then but I watched it happen.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takotsubo_cardiomyopathy

"It usually appears after a significant stressor, either physical or emotional; when caused by the latter, the condition is sometimes called broken heart syndrome"

Yes, I also took it to be a tactful-as-possible way to say that.

Same here but was curious about stats of broken heart syndrome anyhow.

I'm curious about it too.

In a previous life I used to model insurance payouts for residential mortgages. The average we used was within 7 years.

you don't even have to be partners https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Cocteau#Death