Conversation so far:
What was Ethel Merman doing in later years?
On April 7, 1983, she was preparing to travel to Los Angeles to appear on the 55th Academy Awards telecast.
Did Ethel Merman develop any health problems in later life?
Merman was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma and the tumor caused Merman to become aphasic, and as her illness progressed, she lost her hair and her face swelled.

Question: How did she die?
Self-contained rewrite: How did Ethel Merman die?