The present study uses aerosol optical depth as proxy to estimate 12 years of PM2.5 data for the Beijing central area and calculate the yearly premature mortality by different diseases attributable to PM2.5. The estimated average total mortality due to PM2.5 is about 5100 individuals/year for the period 2001--2012 in the Beijing central area, and the per capita mortality for all ages due to PM2.5 is around 15 per 10,000 person-years for the period 2010--2012.