On December 10, 1999, days after the end of a brief tour of the Midwest that included two shows in the Chicago area and a final gig at the Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Danko died in his sleep at his home in Marbletown, New York.
The cause of death was heart failure.
He was 55.

He was survived by his second wife, Elizabeth (died 2013), whom he had married in 1989; a stepson, Justin and a daughter Lisa, from his first marriage.
 His son Eli, from Danko's first marriage, died in 1989 at age 18 from asphyxiation after heavy drinking while studying at the State University of New York at Albany.
Danko was buried next to Eli at Woodstock Cemetery, Woodstock, New York.
On December 10, 1999, days after the end of a brief tour of the Midwest that included two shows in the Chicago area and a final gig at the Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Danko died in his sleep at his home in Marbletown, New York. The cause of death was heart failure. He was 55.
He was survived by his second wife, Elizabeth (died 2013), whom he had married in 1989; a stepson, Justin and a daughter Lisa, from his first marriage.  His son Eli, from Danko's first marriage, died in 1989 at age 18 from asphyxiation after heavy drinking while studying at the State University of New York at Albany. Danko was buried next to Eli at Woodstock Cemetery, Woodstock, New York.
Rick Danko