August 1944 at the age of 87 in Fairlie, North Ayrshire. He never married or had children. He was buried in Largs. The yard was continued for some years after his death by his nephew, but never achieved the renown known under Fife's ownership. Quotes French yachtsman Éric Tabarly, two-time winner of the OSTAR and owner of the Fife design Pen Duick wrote: While Fife established a leading reputation on the yacht racing circuit, his work also included a number of fine cruising vessels. Dr. William Collier wrote of Fife's 1920s work: Vessels The Fife yard also had a reputation for the extremely high quality of the craftsmanship of the yachts built at the yard. Today, it is thought that there are somewhat less than 100 Fife designs still in existence. Of these, there are around fifty still sailing, most notably: cruiser handicap rater Nan (1897) 36-rater Pen Duick (formerly Yum, 1898) 21-rater Mignon (1898), sisterships Pierette and Yvette (1899) cruiser handicap raters Moonbeam III (1903) and Moonbeam IV (1920) 15mRs Mariska (1908), Hispania (1909), Tuiga (1909) and The Lady Anne (1912) 12mR Cintra (the oldest 12mR in existence, launched 1909) 8mR Lucky Girl (launched 1909) and Ierne (launched 1914) 19mR Mariquita (1911) Ketches Sumurun (1914), Adventuress (1924) and Belle Aventure (1929) on the Eastern Seaboard handicap rater Hallowe'en (1926) 23mR Cambria (1928) gaff-rigged schooner Altair (1931) 10.4m canoe stern auxiliary sloop Sumarel (1973) ketch Eilean (1936), which famously featured in the music video for the 1982 Duran Duran song Rio. Fife once said that the secret of a great yacht was that it should be both "fast and bonnie". Honours He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1919 New Year Honours. In 2004, he was inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame. Selected historic yachts Torch (15-ton cutter, William Fife Sr. design, 1864) Kilmeney (30-ton cutter, William Fife Sr. design, 1864) Fiona (80-ton cutter dubbed the Fawn of Fairlie, William Fife Sr. design, 1865) Neptune (50-ton cutter, later a yawl, William Fife Sr. design, 1875) Erycina (96-ton cutter, later a yawl, William Fife Sr. design, 1882) Ulidia (10-tonner, William Fife Jr. design, 1883) Thalia (40-rater, William Fife Jr. design, 1891) Calluna (first-class rater, William Fife Jr. design, 1893) Yachts for Irish owners 15 ton cutter Corsair (1860) – designed by William Fife Sr. 3 ton lugger Achilla (1889) 2 ton lugger