On June 8, 1971, Rodale died of a heart attack at the age of 72 while as a guest on an early-evening taping of The Dick Cavett Show. The episode was slated to be aired later that evening. Rodale had stated during his just-completed interview on the show, "I'm in such good health that I fell down a long flight of stairs yesterday and I laughed all the way," "I've decided to live to be a hundred," and "I never felt better in my life!"[1] He had also previously said, "I'm going to live to be 100, unless I'm run down by some sugar-crazed taxi driver."[13][14]