Pearl Bailey died of heart disease on August 17, 1990, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the age of 72.
Pearl Bailey died on August 17, 1990, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the age of 72, after suffering a heart attack attributed to underlying coronary artery disease. Her death marked the end of a remarkable, decades-long career that had spanned live nightclub performance, Broadway, Hollywood film, network television, and international diplomacy.
At the time of her death, Bailey had recently completed further academic study, having earned a bachelor's degree in theology from Georgetown University in 1985 at the age of 67, reflecting her lifelong intellectual curiosity and deep religious faith rooted in her upbringing as a preacher's daughter.
Tributes poured in from across the entertainment industry and government, honoring her as one of the most versatile and beloved American entertainers of the twentieth century. Her legacy endures through her recordings, her Tony-winning stage work, her memoirs, and her pioneering role as a Black woman who achieved major mainstream success in an era of significant racial barriers.
She was buried in Rolling Green Memorial Park in West Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania. Her life and career continue to be celebrated in retrospectives of American musical theater and Black entertainment history, and she remains remembered for her warmth, wit, and trailblazing achievements.