When will rigel die?

Answer 1

An excellent question, but not one that can be answered. Since Rigel (the white star in the "knee" of Orion) is a blue supergiant of about 17 solar masses, it will explode in a supernova when it dies. In fact, since Rigel is about 800 light-years away, it may already have done so, and the light could be on its way here even now.

The bigger the star, the shorter the life-span. We know that Rigel will die before our own Sun does, but that doesn't narrow it down by much.

Answer 2

Rigel is estimated to die in about 7 million years. It is currently in the later stages of its life cycle as a blue supergiant star and is expected to eventually explode in a supernova event.