So who exactly was the man behind history’s most famous tomb? King Tut was born Tutankhaten sometime in 1341 B.C., the son of Akhenaten, aka Amenhotep IV, a powerful and revered pharaoh of ancient Egypt (per Biography). Though Amenhotep was a dominant leader, it was that authoritativeness when it came to changing the religion of his people that resulted in his downfall. After a 17-year rule, he is believed to have been deposed, and died soon after, which paved the way for his 9-year-old son to become pharaoh.
Tutankhaten changed his name to Tutankhamun when he ascended the throne. Because of his age at the beginning of his reign, it would be fair to assume that he had a lot of time ahead of him to rule his people. Unfortunately, his tenure as pharaoh was short and unremarkable. King Tut passed away at the age of 19, reportedly from a gangrene infection, and his name faded into obscurity for thousands of years.