He served in this position until his death, which was caused by a fire at a government summer house at Þingvellir; his wife and grandson also perished in the blaze.
Ia bertugas sebagai Perdana Menteri hingga kematiannya yang diakibatkan oleh kebakaran di rumah musim panas pemerintah di Þingvellir; istri dan cucunya juga meninggal dalam tragedi tersebut.