Jean Baptiste-Lully

This envied egomaniac of Louis XIV's court epitomized French Baroque music and died of a conducting accident. So says Rhapsody's summary.

A conducting accident? Wikipedia solved this in a few seconds:

On January 8, 1687, Lully was conducting a Te Deum in honor of Louis XIV's recent recovery from illness. He was beating time by banging a long staff (a precursor to the baton) against the floor, as was the common practice at the time, when he struck his toe, creating an abscess. The wound turned gangrenous, but Lully refused to have his toe amputated and the gangrene spread resulting in his death on the 22nd of March. He left his last opera, Achille & Polyxène, unfinished.

We all have to go somehow, I suppose....

And yes, I finished my paper. It sucks mightily, but it's done.