Phrases, sayings & expressions, what they mean & where they came from

This expression was used in England as early as the 16th century. It came from the practice of hanging a criminal by having him stand on a bucket, putting a noose around his neck and then kicking the bucket out from under him. Prisoners who committed suicide by hanging themselves in their cells sometimes kicked a bucket out from under their own legs. Today this slang expression can be applied to any manner of death, and often refers to inanimate objects as well as living beings.

My 1988 F150 finally kicked the bucket.
From the “Dictionary of Idioms,” Marvin Terban, Scholastic Inc., publisher, 1996)