Judy Garland died in London, England, on June 22, 1969, at age 47, ending an iconic career in film and music.
Judy Garland died on June 22, 1969, at her rented home in Chelsea, London, England, at the age of 47. Her death, attributed to an accidental overdose of barbiturates, came after decades of struggle with addiction and health problems, many stemming from the punishing regimens imposed on her as a child star at MGM, which included the use of amphetamines and sedatives to control her weight and energy levels for grueling filming schedules.
News of her death sent shockwaves through the entertainment world and among her legions of devoted fans. An estimated 20,000 people lined the streets of New York City to pay their respects as her body lay in state, and her funeral was attended by numerous Hollywood luminaries. She was initially interred at Ferncliff Cemetery in New York, and in 2017 her remains were moved to Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Garland's death at a relatively young age cemented her legacy as one of the great tragic figures of American entertainment, a performer whose immense talent was inseparable from the personal toll exacted by fame, the studio system, and addiction. Her passing occurred just weeks before the Stonewall riots, an event with which her memory has become symbolically intertwined in LGBTQ+ history and culture, given her enduring status as a gay icon.