A tragically young death, typically at or below the
age of 40 or 50.
There's quite a few variations of the phrase. "Digging yourself an early
grave", "Meeting an early
grave", and "Driving someone into an early grave", to name a few.
1.
Rhonda's son, Carson dug himself an early grave at the
age of 29, thanks to his drug abuse and alcoholism.
2.
Michael and Paula had a son named Harry, who met an early grave at the tender age of eight, due to leukemia.
3. Earl's job forced him to work odd hours, resulting in severe sleep deprivation. He aged very poorly as a result, and it ultimately drove him into an early grave at the age of 36.