Crawford began having a lot of health problems later in life. Her dental issues required surgery and left her needing care around the clock. In 1977, she gave away her beloved Shih Tzu because she was too weak to care for her anymore.
On May 10, 1977, Crawford passed away in her apartment because of a heart attack. Her funeral was held in New York three days later. The previous October, Crawford made some drastic changes to her will that affected her children’s rights to her $2 million estate.