Question: does stella die in the one and only ivan

Answer: Yes, When Ruby, a baby elephant is brought to the Big Top Mall to live with Stella and learn new tricks, things begin to change. Stella's old injury causes her to get sick. Just before Stella succumbs to her illness and passes away, she asks Ivan to take care of Ruby and find her a better place. Ivan promises he will take care of Ruby, even though he does not know how he will manage to do it. After Stella's death, Ivan begins to remember his life before the Big Top Mall, and what it was like to have freedom, if only to have stories to tell to Ruby. While Mack, the owner of the Big Top Mall is trying to train Ruby to do tricks, Ivan witnesses first hand the abuse to which she is subjected and starts to decide how to keep his promise to Stella.