Henry Thrale died on April 4, 1781. In Johnson's Diaries, the following note appears for April 14: "On Wednesday, 11, was buried my dear Friend Thrale who died, on Wednseday, 4, and with him were buried many of my hopes an dpleasures." (Diary entry taken from the Yale edition of the works of Samuel Johnson, volume I, page 304.)Johnson had met the Thrales in 1765. During a period of depression, the Thrales took him in and provided him a home life he had never known, which helped him come out of his depression. (Lynch)