•We found that 73.9% of deaths were directly due to or significantly contributed to by COVID-19 vaccination. •Our data suggest a high likelihood of a causal link between COVID-19 vaccination and death. •These findings indicate the urgent need to elucidate the pathophysiologic mechanisms of death with the goal of risk stratification and avoidance of death for the large numbers of individuals who have taken or will receive one or more COVID-19 vaccines in the future. •This review helps provide the medical and forensic community a better understanding of COVID-19 vaccine fatal adverse events. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0379073824001968