Her cause of death remains unknown, although rumor are circulating that Poppaea's death resulting from a kick in the stomach by the Emperor. While Nero has certainly done equally cruel deeds in the past, it seems unlikely that he meant to kill Poppaea, as Nero was said to have loved the Empress. In addition, Poppaea was pregnant with the future heir to the throne, as the couples's previous child, Claudia, died four months after her birth in January 63 CE.
The Emperor is reportedly planning not to cremate Poppaea, as is traditionally done, but instead to embalm the queen after her public funeral. Sources close to Nero say that the Emperor is distraught, but plans to speak about Poppaea's beauty at the funeral. Despite Poppaea's controversial past, the former Empress has also been pronounced a goddess. Roman citizens may now worship not only young Claudia, who was deified after her death, but her mother Poppaea also. Sententia Publicus will announce more details of Poppaea's funeral as they become public.
