The last living Titanic survivor, Millvina Dean, died today at 97.
She's had quite a life -- read her obituary in the LA Times.
I didn't know that a Titanic Relief Fund was set up in England to help surviving family members of Titanic victims. It was with these funds that Dean and her brother received their education.
Dean never saw the film "Titanic" -- Prince Charles even invited her to a screening. She said it would have been too painful for her to watch, as her father stayed onboard after helping his children and their mother onto a lifeboat. (You really can't blame her for not wanting to see it -- there were scenes depicting exactly that).
I had just read on Perez Hilton on May 11 that the film's director James Cameron, and stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet contributed to a $30,000 fund to help Dean, who was struggling financially. The LA Times article did mention that in 2008, Dean auctioned off many of her Titanic mementos to help pay for her stay at a nursing home. It's too bad they didn't come to Dean's aid sooner... perhaps they didn't know she needed help?
Either way, it's sad. :(
