There’s a sound a person makes when they have less than a day left to live: Here’s what it means

Hospice experts describe a distinctive sound, known as the death rattle, that often signals a person is within a day of dying. Caused by saliva and secretions collecting in the throat when swallowing stops, it can sound distressing but causes no pain. Hospice nurse Julie McFadden explains it as a natural, peaceful part of the body’s final process.