When the First World War broke out, Macke was drafted and sent to the front lines. After only a few weeks, he was killed on the battlefield on September 26th, 1914, near Champagne, France. His friend and fellow painter, Franz Marc, wrote Macke's obituary:

"In a war we are all equal. But amongst a thousand brave men, one bullet has hit someone who cannot be replaced. His death means that a hand has been cut off a nation's culture, an eye has been put out... we, the painters, know full well that with the loss of his harmony of colours German art will become paler by several shades and that is will acquire a drier and more lustreless note. More than anybody else, he gave the brightest and purest note to his colours, just as his entire personality was one of clarity and brightness."

Tragically, Franz Marc's own career as an artist came to an end when he was inducted into the military and killed on the battlefield in March of 1916.