 He died of natural causes, aged 81, in July 1999, survived by his wife of 56 years, Celia, Viscountess Whitelaw (1 January 1917 – 5 December 2011), a philanthropist/charity worker and horticulturist who had been an ATS volunteer during the Second World War.The couple had four daughters.Although Whitelaw was given a hereditary peerage, the title became extinct on his death as his daughters were unable to inherit.