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Grace Kelly, an Academy Award-winning actress who became the Princess of Monaco, died in a tragic car crash in Frabce’s Côte d’Azur region. On September 13, 1982, Kelly suffered a stroke while driving home to Monaco with her daughter Princess Stephanie, 17. She lost control of the car and drove off a steep mountain. The 52-year-old died from a brain hemorrhage the next day, September 14, in a hospital, reported People Magazine. Princess Stephanie survived after suffering a concussion and a fractured vertebra.
According to Fox News, Kelly was well known for her work with iconic Hollywood director Alfred Hitchcock. She made her first silver screen appearance with a minor role in Fourteen Hours in 1951 before embarking on her famed acting career. She received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in Mogambo (1953). Kelly won her first Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for The Country Girl.
Then, in May 1955, Grace Kelly met Monaco’s Prince Rainier III. They announced their engagement the next January after seven months of courtship. In April 1956, the couple got married, which put an end to Kelly’s acting career. They had three children—Caroline, Albert, and Stephanie—before the Princess’ death.
What was Grace Kelly’s cause of death?
According to a 1982 The Guardian report, Grace Kelly’s cause of death was a brain hemorrhage. On September 14 of that year, Kelly succumbed to her injuries in a hospital after the car crash. She was 52 years old at the time of her death.
Reportedly, the accident happened on September 13 when Kelly and her daughter, Princess Stephanie, were driving to their home in Monaco from their Roc Agel summer house. The New York Times stated that doctors said the crash occurred after Kelly suffered an attack similar to a stroke while driving. Princess Stephanie survived the accident with injuries such as a broken thigh bone, collar bone, and rib injuries.
Doctors said Grace Kelly experienced a “cerebral vascular incident.” This caused her to lose control of her Rover, which drove off a steep mountain. The vehicle plummeted 120 feet down a hillside. Police and palace officials initially believed the car’s brakes may have failed and caused the crash.
People Magazine stated that in a 2015 interview with the French publication Point de Vue, Princess Stephanie spoke about her mother’s death. She said, “After I got over my anger, got past the sense of injustice that was inside me, instead of feeling sorry for myself, I said, ‘Wait! Logically, you should have died, too.’ If I was kept alive, it was for a reason. You have a place in this world. You have to find it.”
Later, in a 2017 interview, Grace Kelly’s son, Prince Albert, said, “It always takes a while; you recover thanks to your other family members and to your friends and to people who are dear to you who can provide comfort. It also takes a few years to really come to terms with it.”
Albert believed his father, Prince Rainier III, who died in 2005, never recovered from Kelly’s death. He said that the incident deeply affected his father, who “wasn’t quite the same man as he was before.”
Autopsy: The Last Hours Of has previously chronicled the tragic death of Grace Kelly. The episode, which aired in 2021, looks into the tragic car crash and the actress‘ cause of death.
