He died in a training flight accident when he was only 34. I would still call it "untimely".

Thank-you for sharing that. I had not realized he would survive the mission in the article, only to ultimately pass so young.

I remember reading an SF story in which the Soviets think Venus is a relatively hospitable jungle, send Gagarin there, then come up with the plane crash story to cover up their mistake. Sadly I can't find it at the moment.