Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale, the aunt of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, died at the age of 81 after falling into destitution with her daughter, Edith, known as "Little Edie." According to The New York Times, the 81-year-old died at Southampton Hospital in 1977, one year after suffering a fall that had required her to use a wheelchair.
Life at Grey Gardens
Edith's death was confirmed two years after the 1975 documentary Grey Gardens, by Albert and David Maysles, was released. A film that has since been selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry, Grey Gardens took viewers inside Edith's derelict mansion.
A property that she'd purchased with her husband, lawyer Phelan Beale, in 1923, their East Hampton home had gradually fallen into disrepair after their 1931 split, which saw Phelan moving out. In 1940, he notified Edith of their divorce via telegram.
Police raid and rescue
During their marriage, Edith and Phelan welcomed three children - Phelan Jr., Bouvier and Edie - but by 1971, Edith's two sons had moved out and started families of their own, leaving the matriarch and her daughter at Grey Gardens. Although Phelan had sent child support payments after their divorce, Edith's funds began to run low in her later years.
After frustrated locals lodged complaints, police raided the property in October of that year and found Grey Gardens "full of litter, rife with the odour of cats and in violation of various local ordinances." As the Suffolk County Health Department prepared to evict them, Edith's niece, Jacqueline Onassis, and her sister, Lee Radziwill, reportedly spent $30,000 to refurbish the property and pay off back taxes. Part of the money was also used to give Edith and Edie a stipend.
Documentary fame and legacy
When Albert and David Maysles approached Edith to film a documentary about her life at Grey Gardens, both she and Little Edie were happy to take part. "It's the greatest thing that ever happened to me in my old age," Edith told interviewers. "You know, I'll be 81 in October. Nobody else wanted to take my picture. I'm thrilled."
When Edith died in 1977, her daughter eventually moved out and sold the property to Washington Post editors, Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn, for $220,000. She subsequently moved to New York City, where she worked, for a brief time, as a cabaret singer. As of 2017, Grey Gardens now belongs to fashion designer Liz Lange.
