We report a case of viral laryngitis due to HSV in an adult. The patient was a 61-year-old female alcoholic. She presented with fever and stridor and developed sepsis and multiorgan failure. She was treated with antibiotics to no effect and died 14 days after hospitalisation. Post mortem histology of the larynx showed an acute pseudomembranous inflammation with the classical morphology of HSV infection. An immunohistochemical reaction for HSV was positive.