She was a chain-smoker for thirty years, and then suddenly, boom. She's gone.There are fewer chain-smokers now than there were just a few years ago.
chain smoker
A person who smokes cigarettes continuously, such that they begin a new cigarette as (or almost as) soon as the last one is extinguished. My grandmother died of emphysema after being a chain smoker for most of her adult life.
chain-smoker
n. someone who smokes cigarette after cigarette. She was a chain-smoker for thirty years, and then suddenly, boom. She’s gone.