beatty died on 26 october 1949 after falling from a sixth floor window of the ritz hotel, london, having been informed that he was going completely blind. at the time of his death, beatty's eyesight had failed to the point where he needed to be in the company of his valet to walk. he was wearing his pyjamas and a robe when he told his valet he was going to the sixth floor of the ritz to visit friends there. he then fell six floors to his death at the rear of the hotel. beatty's most recent eye surgery was on 5 september. his brother, david beatty, 2nd earl beatty, with whom he was living at the time, said that after the surgery beatty began to lose what little sight he had left, but gave no indication that he intended to kill himself. a coroner's verdict was that beatty had committed suicide, since he had recently learned that there was no hope of saving his sight.