Aims : to explain the relevance of different cell death modalities upon lung tissue damage in the development of various chronic lung diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), interstitial lung disease and COVID-19; to differentiate between different cell death modalities and the underlying molecular mechanisms; to describe the immunological and pathological consequences of different cell death modalities; to explain the role of specific cell death modalities in the pathophysiology of chronic lung diseases; to provide insight into the therapeutic potential of cellular fate regulation in chronic lung diseases.