He is the first writer interred in the Poets' Corner

It is a fact that he is the first writer interred in the Poets' Corner. Chaucer died on October 25, 1400, of unknown causes, though the only proof for this date comes from an engraving on his tomb, which was placed more than 100 years after his death. Some speculate that he was murdered by Richard II's enemies or possibly on the orders of his successor Henry IV, although the evidence is totally circumstantial. Chaucer was buried in Westminster Abbey in London, as was his right as a tenant of Abbey's cloister. His remains were moved to a more elegant grave in 1556, making him the first writer interred in what is now known as Poets' Corner.

Poets' Corner is the name given to a section of Westminster Abbey's South Transept in the City of Westminster, London, because of the large number of poets, playwrights, and writers buried and remembered there. Geoffrey Chaucer was the first poet buried in Poets' Corner in 1400. William Shakespeare was honored with a monument in 1740, more than a century after his death. Over the years, a custom of interring or memorializing persons there in honor of their contribution to British culture has developed. The award is given to writers in the majority of cases.