Carrie Saxon Perry died at age 87 in Waterbury, Connecticut, from myocardial infarction and heart and kidney disease.
Carrie Saxon Perry died on November 22, 2018, at Waterbury Hospital in Waterbury, Connecticut, at the age of 87. According to a death certificate held at Waterbury City Hall, the causes of death were listed as myocardial infarction along with underlying heart and kidney disease.
Remarkably, news of Perry's death did not become widely public until nearly a year later, when the New York Times published an obituary in November 2019 revealing that the trailblazing former mayor had passed away. This delayed public recognition of her death sparked renewed attention to her legacy and raised questions among former colleagues and Hartford residents about how such a significant historical figure's passing could have gone largely unnoticed for so long.
Perry's death marked the end of a life dedicated to public service, social work, and breaking racial and gender barriers in American politics. Her passing prompted reflection across Connecticut and the nation on her role as the first African American woman elected mayor of a major New England city, and tributes emphasized her enduring impact on Hartford's political landscape, civil rights advocacy, and the generations of Black women in politics who followed her path.