Millvina Dean – Last Titanic Survivor 1912-2009
Elizabeth Gladys “Millvina” Dean was the last living survivor of the RMS Titanic. At two months of age, on April 15, 1912, the youngest passenger on board the ship was put on a lifeboat, along with her mother and brother. Their father went down with the ship. She died at the age of 97 at a care home in Ashurst, Hampshire on May 31, 2009.
As the last living survivor, she had been in failing health following a broken hip. She was forced to sell some of her prized Titanic memorabilia in order to pay for her private medical care at a nursing home in Southhampton in England. Among those possessions was a letter that her mother received from the Titanic Relief Fund, and a suitcase that was given to her mother in New York following the ship’s sinking.
Dean’s ongoing care averages approximately $6,000 per month. In May 2009 the Millvina Fund was set up by Don Mullan, a photographer for a newspaper in Northern Ireland. He contacted James Cameron, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, the director and co-stars of the film Titanic, who ended up donating $44,000 to pay Dean’s bills and provide continued support.
A statement by Winslet and DiCaprio said, “We are honored to contribute to the Millvina Fund. Our hope is that others will feel inspired by Millvina Dean’s remarkable story of survival, and we hope that she can rest easier in knowing that her future will become more secure through this fund.”
According to Mullan, those who originally purchased Millvina Dean’s memorabilia have returned the items to her. We’ve provided a link to the Millvina Fund here.
More photos and recent video below.