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{{Short description|American philanthropist, socialite, and writer (1902–2007)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Brooke Astor
| image = 13astor cityroom cropped.jpg
| image_size = 190px
| caption = Brooke Astor in 2002 in her apartment
| birth_name = Roberta Brooke Russell
| birth_date = {{birth date|1902|03|30}}
| birth_place = [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2007|08|13|1902|03|30}}
| death_place = [[Briarcliff Manor, New York]], U.S.
| burial_place = [[Sleepy Hollow Cemetery]]
| education = {{ubl|[[The Madeira School]]|[[Holton-Arms School]]}}
| occupation = Writer, philanthropist
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[John Dryden Kuser]]|1919|1930|reason=div}}
* {{marriage|Charles Henry Marshall III|1932|1952|reason=his death}}
* {{marriage|[[Vincent Astor|William Vincent Astor]]|1953|1959|reason=his death}}
}}
| children = [[Anthony Dryden Marshall]]
| parents = {{ubl|[[John H. Russell Jr.|John Henry Russell Jr.]]|Mabel Cecile Hornby Howard}}
| relatives = [[John Henry Russell|John Henry Russell Sr.]] (grandfather)
}}
'''Roberta Brooke Astor''' (née '''Russell'''; March 30, 1902 – August 13, 2007) was an American philanthropist, socialite, and writer. She served as the chairwoman of the Vincent Astor Foundation, established by her third husband, [[Vincent Astor]], who was a member of the [[Astor family]]. Brooke Astor was the author of two novels and two volumes of personal memoirs.
==Early life==
Roberta Brooke Russell was born in [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire]], the only child of [[John H. Russell Jr.|John Henry Russell Jr.]], the 16th [[Commandant of the United States Marine Corps|Commandant of the Marine Corps]], and Mabel Cecile Hornby Howard. Her paternal grandfather [[John Henry Russell|John Henry Russell Sr.]] was a [[rear admiral]] in the U.S. Navy. She was named for her maternal grandmother (Roberta) and was known as Bobby to close friends and family.
Due to her father's career she spent much of her childhood abroad living in China, the [[Dominican Republic]], [[Haiti]], and other places. She briefly attended [[The Madeira School]] in 1919, but graduated from the [[Holton-Arms School]].{{citation needed|date=September 2018}} As a child she kept diaries, letters and drawings from her travels, which were published in an illustrated edition of her memoir ''Patchwork Child: Early Memories'' in 1993.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/13/obituaries/13cnd-astor.html|title=Brooke Astor, 105, First Lady of Philanthropy, Dies|last=Berger|first=Marilyn|date=August 13, 2007|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 3, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
==
===John Dryden Kuser===
She married her first husband, [[John Dryden Kuser]] (1897–1964), shortly after her 17th birthday, on April 26, 1919, in Washington, D.C. "I certainly wouldn't advise getting married that young to anyone," she said later in life. "At the age of sixteen, you're not jelled yet. The first thing you look at, you fall in love with."<ref name="klemesrud">{{cite news |first=Judy |last=Klemesrud |author-link=Judy Klemesrud |title=Brooke Astor: The Private Moments of a Public Benefactor; Married at 16 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/06/15/archives/brooke-astor-the-private-moments-of-a-public-benefactor-married-at.html |work=The New York Times |date=June 15, 1980| access-date=November 6, 2014|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
John was the son of the financier and conservationist [[Anthony R. Kuser|Anthony Rudolph Kuser]] and Susie Fairfield Drydan. Susie's father was [[U.S. Senator]] [[John F. Dryden|John Fairfield Dryden]]. John Kuser later became a [[New Jersey]] Republican councilman, assemblyman, and state senator.<ref>In 1927, Brooke and John Kuser lived in a New York City [[terraced house|townhouse]] which they rented from [[Madeleine Astor|Madeleine Talmadge Force]], the stepmother of Brooke's eventual third husband.</ref> They also lived in [[Bernardsville, New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite news| author-link=Judith Miller (journalist)| last=Miller| first=Judith| title=Old Money, New Needs| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/17/magazine/old-money-new-needs.html?pagewanted=3| work=The New York Times| date=November 17, 1991| access-date=March 21, 2011}}</ref>
Brooke described her tumultuous first marriage as the "worst years of [her] life", which was punctuated by her husband's alleged [[spousal abuse|physical abuse]], alcoholism and [[adultery]].<ref name="klemesrud"/> According to Frances Kiernan's 2007 biography of Astor, when Brooke was six months pregnant with the couple's only child, her husband broke her jaw during a marital fight.<ref name=astorplace/> "I learned about terrible manners from the family of my first husband," she told ''[[The New York Times]]''. "They didn't know how to treat people".<ref name="klemesrud"/> A year after the marriage, according to a published account of the divorce proceedings, John "began to embarrass her in social activities" and "told her that he no longer loved her and that their marriage was a failure".<ref name=custody>{{cite news |title=Mrs. Kuser Files Suit; Gets Custody of Son. Wife of New Jersey Senator in Reno Court Relinquishes Her Dower Rights |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1930/02/16/archives/mrs-kuser-files-suit-gets-custody-of-son-wife-of-new-jersey-senator.html |work=The New York Times |date=February 16, 1930 |access-date=November 7, 2014 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
Brooke and John had one son, [[Anthony Dryden Marshall|Anthony Dryden "Tony" Kuser]]. She filed for divorce February 15, 1930, in [[Reno, Nevada]]. It was finalized later that year.<ref name=custody/>
===Charles Henry Marshall===
Her second husband, whom she married in 1932, was Charles Henry "Buddy" Marshall (1891–1952), the only son of [[Charles Henry Marshall]]. Buddy was the senior partner of the investment firm Butler, Herrick & Marshall, a brother-in-law of the mercantile heir [[Marshall Field III]], and a descendant of [[James Lenox]], the founder of the [[Lenox Library (New York)|Lenox Library]].
Astor later wrote that the marriage was "a great love match."<ref name="klemesrud" />
She had two stepchildren by the marriage, Peter Marshall and Helen Huntington Marshall. Helen's first marriage was to composer [[Ernest Schelling]]<ref name=Gray>{{cite news| first=Christopher| last=Gray| title=Streetscapes: 863 Park Avenue; One of the Oldest Luxury Apartment Houses on Park| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/12/realestate/streetscapes-863-park-avenue-one-of-the-oldest-luxury-apartment-houses-on-park.html?exprod=permalink&partner=permalink| work=The New York Times| date=July 12, 1998| access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref> and her second to cellist [[János Scholz]].<ref name=Pace>{{cite news| first=Eric| last=Pace| title=Janos Scholz, 89, Cellist, Scholar And Morgan Library Benefactor| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/06/obituaries/janos-scholz-89-cellist-scholar-and-morgan-library-benefactor.html| work=The New York Times| date=June 6, 1993| access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref>
In 1942, Brooke's then-18-year-old son Tony changed his name to [[Anthony Dryden Marshall]] out of admiration for his stepfather. Buddy's financial fortunes turned in the mid-1940s when Brooke went to work as a features editor at ''[[House & Garden (magazine)|House & Garden]]'' magazine for eight years. She also briefly worked for [[Ruby Ross Wood]], a prominent New York interior decorator who, with her associate [[Billy Baldwin (decorator)|Billy Baldwin]], decorated the Marshalls' apartment at 1 Gracie Square in New York City.<ref>Astor's association with ''[[House & Garden (magazine)|House & Garden]]'' has been established by a contemporary issue of the magazine, which shows "Mrs. Charles H. Marshall of Ruby Ross Wood, Inc." in the design firm's office. The gossip columnist [[Cindy Adams]] stated July 28, 2006, that Astor was fired from her position at ''House & Garden'' and also worked briefly as a secretary to the American decorator [[Dorothy Draper]].</ref>
===William Vincent Astor===
In October 1953, 11 months after Charles Marshall's death, she married her third and final husband, [[Vincent Astor|William Vincent Astor]], the chairman of the board of ''[[Newsweek]]'' magazine and the last rich American member of the famous [[Astor family]]. Vincent was the son of ''[[RMS Titanic]]'' victim [[John Jacob Astor IV|John Jacob "Jack" Astor IV]] and socialite [[Ava Lowle Willing]]. He had been married and divorced twice before, had no children and was known to have a difficult personality.
"He had a dreadful childhood and as a result had moments of deep melancholy," Brooke recalled. "But I think I made him happy. That's what I set out to do. I'd literally dance with the dogs, sing and play the piano, and I would make him laugh, something no one had ever done before. Because of his money, Vincent was very suspicious of people. That's what I tried to cure him of."<ref name="klemesrud"/>
Not wanting to die alone, Astor agreed to divorce his second wife [[Mary Benedict Cushing|Mary Benedict "Minnie" Cushing]] only after she had found him a replacement spouse. Minnie had first suggested Janet Newbold Rhinelander-Stewart who turned down Astor's proposal with startling candor stating "I don't even like you." Minnie then suggested the recently widowed Brooke.<ref>{{cite journal| url=http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/social-history/2009/part-iii-vincent-the-astor-who-gave-away-the-money| title=Part III: Vincent, the Astor Who Gave Away the Money| date=April 30, 2009| journal=[[New York Social Diary]]| access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref> Few people believed that the Astor-Marshall union was anything more than a financial transaction. According to Brooke's friend [[Louis Auchincloss]], "she married Vincent for the money," adding "I wouldn't respect her if she hadn't. Only a twisted person would have married him for love."<ref name=astorplace>{{cite news |first=Liesl |last=Schillinger |title=Astor's Place |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/17/books/review/Schillinger-t.html?ex=1187841600&en=a6b58d082dcac64f&ei=5070 |work=The New York Times |date=June 17, 2007 |access-date=July 21, 2007}}</ref>
During her brief marriage to Vincent, whom she called "Captain," Brooke participated in his real-estate and hotel empire and his philanthropic endeavors. Between 1954 and 1958, she redecorated one of his properties, the Hotel St. Regis, which had been built by his father. Vincent died leaving all his money to the Vincent Astor Foundation; Brooke became its chairwoman. Vincent's younger half-brother, socialite [[John Jacob Astor VI|John Jacob "Jakey" Astor VI]] was left with nothing, since Vincent's hatred for Jakey's mother Madeleine (Jack's second wife and widow) led him to believe Jakey was not even a biological Astor. Vincent had nothing but contempt for him.<ref name=Vincent>{{cite web| title=Part II: Vincent, the Astor Who Gave Away the Money| url=http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/node/317873/print| work=New York Social Diary| date=April 29, 2009| access-date=November 7, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512034627/http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/node/317873/print| archive-date=May 12, 2013| url-status=dead}}</ref> Jakey felt cheated and resentfully stated Vincent "had the legal, not the moral right to keep all the money."<ref name=Survivors>{{cite book| last=Wilson| first=Andrew| title=Shadow of the Titanic: The Extraordinary Stories of Those Who Survived| url=https://archive.org/details/shadowoftitanice0000wils| date=March 6, 2012| publisher=Atria Books| isbn=978-1451671568| url-access=subscription}}</ref> He was certain that Vincent was "mentally incompetent" when signing his last will in June 1958 due to alcoholism, though Brooke insisted otherwise. While Vincent was hospitalized, Brooke would often bring him liquor. Jakey accused her of using the liquor to influence the will in her favor. Jakey ended up settling for $250,000. The rest of the money remained with the Vincent Astor Foundation and Brooke. Before Vincent's death, Brooke once privately admitted to her daughter-in-law Elizabeth Cynthia "Liz" Cryan: "I don't think I can stand being married to him anymore. I don't think I can take it. He never wants to go anywhere — he's so antisocial."<ref name=BrookeMemoir>{{cite book| last=Gordon| first=Meryl| title=Mrs. Astor Regrets: The Hidden Betrayals of a Family Beyond Reproach| date=October 22, 2009| publisher=Mariner Books| isbn=978-0547247984| url=https://archive.org/details/mrsastorregretsh00mery_0| url-access=subscription}}</ref>
Though she received several proposals after Astor's death, she chose not to remarry. In a 1980 interview, she stated: "I'd have to marry a man of a suitable age and somebody who was a somebody and that's not easy. Frankly, I think I'm unmarriageable now." She also said, "I'm too used to having things my way. But I still enjoy a flirt now and then."<ref name="klemesrud"/>
==
Though she was appointed a member of the board of the Astor Foundation soon after her marriage, upon Vincent Astor's death in 1959, she took charge of all the philanthropies to which he left his fortune. She served as a Trustee of the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] and chaired the Visiting Committee of the Metropolitan's Department of Far Eastern Art; she is credited with the idea for a Chinese garden courtyard, the [[Astor Court]], in the Metropolitan.<ref>{{cite book| title=One Hundred Eleventh Annual Report of the Trustees The Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Fiscal Year July 1, 1980, Through June 30, 1981| date=October 19, 1981| publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art}}</ref> In addition, Astor served as a member of the [[The Metropolitan Museum of Art Centennial|Metropolitan Museum of Art's 100th Anniversary]] Committee and hosted the Metropolitan's Centennial Ball.<ref>{{cite web| title=Finding aid for the George Trescher records related to The Metropolitan Museum of Art Centennial, 1949, 1960–1971 (bulk 1967–1970)| date=June 13, 2014| url=http://libmma.org/digital_files/archives/Trescher_Centennial_records_b18234550.pdf| publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art| access-date=November 7, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412110104/http://libmma.org/digital_files/archives/Trescher_Centennial_records_b18234550.pdf| archive-date=April 12, 2019| url-status=dead}}</ref> She was also a benefactress to the New York Zoological Society for which Astor the baby Asian elephant was named in her honor.
Despite liquidating the Vincent Astor Foundation in 1997, she continued to be active in charities and in New York's social life. The [[New York Public Library]] was always one of Astor's favorite charities as was [http://www.amcny.org The Animal Medical Center]. In 1988 she was awarded the [[National Medal of Arts]]. She was elected a Fellow of the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]] in 1992.<ref name="AAAS">{{cite web| title=Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter A| url=http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterA.pdf| publisher=American Academy of Arts and Sciences| access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref> As a result of her charity work, Astor was awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] in 1998. Her life's motto summed up her prodigious generosity: "Money is like manure; it's not worth a thing unless it's spread around."<!--as an anon noted, this quote is borrowed and paraphrased (but from "The Matchmaker" or Francis Bacon not "Hello Dolly"?); however, it has been attributed to Astor--><ref name="nytobit">{{cite news| last=Berger| first=Marilyn| title=Brooke Astor, New York's First Lady of Philanthropy, Dies at 105| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/13/obituaries/13cnd-astor.html| work=The New York Times| date=August 13, 2007| access-date=August 13, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| first1=Susan Heller| last1=Anderson| first2=David W.| last2=Dunlap| title=New York Day by Day; 2 Honors for Brooke Astor| work=The New York Times| date=May 2, 1985| page=B3}}</ref>
Among numerous other organizations, she was involved with [[Lighthouse International|Lighthouse for the Blind]], the [[Maternity Center Association]], the Astor Home for emotionally disturbed children, the [[International Rescue Committee]], the [[Fresh Air Fund]], and the Women's Auxiliary Board of the Society of [[New York-Presbyterian Hospital|New York Hospital]].
==Elder abuse controversy==
The ''[[New York Daily News]]'' ran a cover story on July 26, 2006, describing the family feud between Brooke's son Anthony Marshall and her grandson Philip Cryan Marshall regarding Brooke's welfare. The story detailed how her grandson, a historic preservationist and professor at [[Roger Williams University]], had filed a lawsuit seeking the removal of his father as the socialite's guardian and the appointment of [[Annette de la Renta]], the wife of designer [[Oscar de la Renta]], instead.
According to accounts published in ''[[The New York Times]]'' and the ''Daily News'', Astor was diagnosed with [[Alzheimer's disease]] and suffered from [[anemia]], among other ailments. The lawsuit alleged that Marshall had not provided for his elderly mother and instead had allowed her to live in squalor and reduced necessary medication and doctor's visits while enriching himself with income from her estate. Philip Marshall further charged that his father sold his grandmother's favorite [[Childe Hassam]] painting in 2002 without her knowledge and with no record as to the whereabouts of the funds received from the sale. In addition to Annette de la Renta, [[Henry Kissinger]] and [[David Rockefeller]] provided affidavits supporting Philip Marshall's requests for a change in guardianship.
The day the story appeared, [[New York Supreme Court]] Justice John Stackhouse sealed the documents pertaining to the lawsuit and granted an order appointing Annette de la Renta guardian and [[JPMorgan Chase]] to be in charge of Brooke's finances. Several news organizations including the [[Associated Press]] and ''The New York Times'' sued to have the records of the Astor case unsealed in the public interest; their request was granted September 1, 2006.<ref>{{cite news| last=Kovaleski| first=Serge F.| title=Astor Painting Becomes Focus of Courtroom Battle| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/01/nyregion/01astor.html| work=The New York Times| date=September 1, 2006| access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref> Astor was moved to [[Lenox Hill Hospital]] where an unidentified nurse called her appearance "deplorable" according to the ''Daily News''. Brooke's son Tony unsuccessfully attempted to have his mother transferred to another hospital.
Brooke was released from [[Lenox Hill Hospital]] July 29, 2006, and moved to Holly Hill, her {{convert|75|acre|ha|adj=on}} estate in the village of [[Briarcliff Manor, New York]], where she died August 13, 2007.
Meryl Gordon's book ''Mrs. Astor Regrets: The Hidden Betrayals of a Family Beyond Reproach'' (2008) makes use of diaries kept by the nurses who cared for Brooke during the last years of her life. The diaries were compiled over the four years Astor received care and detail the [[elder abuse]] that she reportedly received from her son.<ref>{{cite journal| url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2008-11-17/the-baby-monitor-diaries/1/| journal=[[The Daily Beast]]| title=The Baby Monitor Diaries| last=Mason| first=Christopher| date=November 17, 2008| access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref>
Philip C. Marshall was a tenured professor and director of historic preservation at [[Roger Williams University]] until 2017 when he left to dedicate his efforts full-time to elder justice as the founder of Beyond Brooke.
==Estate tampering==
''The New York Times'' reported on August 1, 2006, that Anthony Marshall was accused by Alice Perdue, an employee in his mother's business office, of diverting nearly $1 million from his ailing mother's personal checking accounts into theatrical productions.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Kovaleski|first1=Serge F.|last2=McIntire|first2=Mike|date=August 1, 2006|title=A Former Astor Aide Tells How Spending Habits Changed|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/01/nyregion/a-former-astor-aide-tells-how-spending-habits-changed.html|access-date=September 20, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Marshall through a spokesman said that his mother knew of the investments and approved of them. Perdue countered that Marshall had advised her never to send to his mother any documents of a financial nature because "she didn't understand it."
The claims made by Philip Marshall regarding his father's handling of the estate prompted interest in the matter. The [[New York County District Attorney|New York District Attorney]] indicted Anthony Marshall and attorney Francis X. Morrissey Jr. in November 2007. The charges stemmed from the district attorney's office and subsequent grand jury investigation into the mishandling of Astor's money and a questionable signature on the third amendment to her 2002 will which was made in March 2004. That amendment called for Astor's real estate to be sold and the proceeds added to her residuary estate. An earlier amendment, also made in 2004, which designated Marshall as the executor of his mother's estate and left him the entirety of the residuary estate, was also under investigation.<ref name="indict">{{cite news| last=Kovaleski| first=Serge F.| title=Son of Astor Is Said to Face Criminal Case| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/27/nyregion/27astor.html?hp| newspaper=The New York Times| date=November 27, 2007| access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref>
The trial of Anthony Marshall and Morrissey started in March 2009 with jury selection.<ref name=trial>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/31/nyregion/31astor.html |author=John Eligon |title=Jury Selection Begins in Fraud Trial of Brooke Astor's Son |work=The New York Times |date=March 30, 2009 |access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref> In October 2009, after deliberations that stretched over 12 days and were reportedly marked by bitter disagreements that left one female juror claiming to feel personally threatened by another juror, the jury convicted Anthony Marshall (then age 85) of 14 of the 16 counts against him, including one of two charges of [[grand larceny]], the most serious charge, for giving himself a retroactive $1 million payment for assisting with his mother's finances.<ref name=guilty>{{cite news |title=Brooke Astor's Son Guilty in Scheme to Defraud Her |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/nyregion/09astor.html |first=John |last=Eligon |work=The New York Times |date=October 8, 2009 |access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref><ref name=Langer>Emily Langer, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/anthony-marshall-son-who-stole-from-mother-philanthropist-brooke-astor-dies/2014/12/01/2064c446-48bf-11e4-b72e-d60a9229cc10_story.html Anthony Marshall, son who stole from mother, philanthropist Brooke Astor, dies], ''Washington Post'' (December 1, 2014).</ref> The jury acquitted Anthony Marshall on the other first-degree larceny count (for his sale for $10 million of a painting by [[Childe Hassam]] owned by Astor, in which Marshall took a $2 million commission), and also acquitted him of [[falsifying business records]].<ref name=guilty/> The same jury convicted Morrissey of forgery, conspiracy, and fraud.<ref name=guilty/><ref name=Langer/>
In December 2009, Marshall and Morrisey were both sentenced to 1–3 years in prison.<ref name=sentenced>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/nyregion/22astor.html |first=James |last=Barron |title=Brooke Astor's Son Is Sentenced to Prison |work=The New York Times |date=December 21, 2009 |access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref> Philip C. Marshall, Astor's grandson, said that now that his father had been convicted in the case, he expected the will to be contested by various charities.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://springseasonsinn.com/2009/10/14/philanthropist-astora%E2%80%99s-will-headed-for-court-challenge/ |first=Thomas J.| last=Morgan| title=Philanthropist Astor's will headed for court challenge, grandson says |work=[[The Providence Journal]]|date=October 14, 2009 |access-date=October 14, 2009}}</ref> Anthony Marshall died in 2014.<ref name=Langer/>
On November 30, 2011, [[Sotheby's]] announced plans for an April 19, 2012, auction of jewelry<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pricescope.com/blog/brooke-astors-jewels-highlight-sothebys-188-million-auction | title=Brooke Astor's Jewels Highlight Sotheby's $18.8 million Auction | date=September 26, 2012 }}</ref> as well as fine and decorative arts from her [[Park Avenue]] apartment and Holly Hill, her Westchester estate.<ref name=auction>{{cite news| title=A Brooke Astor Auction Planned by Sotheby's| url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/a-brooke-astor-auction-planned-by-sothebys/?ref=design| last=Vogel| first=Carol| work=The New York Times| date=December 1, 2011| access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref>
== Death and interment ==
[[File:Brooke Astor grave.jpg|thumb|300px|The grave of Brooke Astor in [[Sleepy Hollow Cemetery]]]]
Brooke Astor died August 13, 2007, aged 105, from [[pneumonia]] at her home<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://therealdeal.com/2011/12/14/brooke-astor-s-westchester-estate-at-298-scarborough-road-sells-for-less-than-half-of-original-asking-price-6-45-million/|title=Brooke Astor's Westchester estate sells for less than half of original asking price|magazine=The Real Deal|date=December 14, 2011|access-date=June 24, 2021}}</ref> in [[Briarcliff Manor, New York]].<ref name=nytobit/> A funeral service was held at [[Saint Thomas Church (Manhattan)]] on August 17. Among the guests were [[Henry Kissinger]], [[Oscar de la Renta]], [[Whoopi Goldberg]], [[Jessye Norman]] and [[Michael Bloomberg]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/18/nyregion/18astor.html|title = Brooke Astor is Eulogized, with Only a Hint of a Rift|newspaper = The New York Times|date = August 18, 2007|last1 = Konigsberg|first1 = Eric}}</ref> She is interred in [[Sleepy Hollow Cemetery]] in [[Sleepy Hollow, New York]] next to Vincent. The epitaph on her gravestone, chosen by her, reads: "I had a wonderful life."<ref name="Bloomberg News">{{cite news| first=Peter| last=Young| title=Brooke Astor, New York Society Doyenne, Benefactor, Dies at 105| url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a5.h9of7cVGo| work=[[Bloomberg.com]]| date=August 13, 2007| access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref>
One of Astor's death notices in ''The New York Times'', a paid notice from [[Rockefeller University|The Rockefeller University]], ended with these lines:
{{blockquote|<poem>And if you should survive to 105,
Look at all you'll derive out of being alive.
Then here is the best part,
You'll have a head start,
If you are among the very young at heart.</poem>|from "[[Young at Heart (Frank Sinatra song)|Young at Heart]]" by [[Johnny Richards]] and [[Carolyn Leigh]]<ref>{{cite news| title=ASTOR, Brooke| work=The New York Times| date=August 16, 2007| page=C15| url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9505E0DD103AF935A2575BC0A9619C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2| access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref>}}
Among the organizations who lamented Brooke's death are [[The Animal Medical Center of New York]], Brooklyn Stained Glass Conservation Center, [[Carnegie Hall]], the Citizens' Committee for New York City, [[Historic Hudson Valley]], [[The Juilliard School]], [[Lenox Hill Neighborhood House]], [[Library of America]], [[Lotos Club]], [[Merchant's House Museum]], [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], Morris-Juemel Mansion Museum, [[New York Botanical Garden]], [[New York Landmarks Conservancy]], [[New York-Presbyterian Hospital]], [[New York Public Library]], New York Regional Association of Grantmakers, [[New York University]], [[Pierpont Morgan Library]], [[Rockefeller University]], [[Wildlife Conservation Society]], [[New York Zoological Society]] and [[WNET-TV]].{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}
==Written works==
*{{cite book| last=Astor| first=Brooke| title=Patchwork Child: Early Memories| ___location=New York| publisher=Random House| year=1962| isbn=0-679-42687-6}}
*{{cite book| last=Astor| first=Brooke| title=The Bluebird Is at Home| ___location=New York| publisher=Random House| year=1965| isbn=0-679-42687-6}}
*{{cite book| last=Astor| first=Brooke| title=Footprints| ___location=Garden City, New York| publisher=Doubleday| year=1980| isbn=0-385-14377-X| url=https://archive.org/details/footprints00broo}}
*{{cite book| last=Astor| first=Brooke| title=The Last Blossom on the Plum Tree: A Period Piece| ___location=New York| publisher=St. Martin's Press| year=1986| isbn=0-312-90545-9}}
==In media==
{{wikiquote}}
Brooke Astor is portrayed as the heroine Jane Merle in the romantic comedy ''Night and Silence: Who is Here?'' by British novelist [[Pamela Hansford Johnson]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/13/brooke-astor-is-dead-at-105/| work=The New York Times| title=Remembering Brooke Astor| date=August 13, 2007| access-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref>
In an episode of the American comedy ''[[30 Rock]]'', [[Liz Lemon]] compliments [[List of 30 Rock characters#Angie Jordan|Angie Jordan]]'s ring, which Lemon states is "ghetto fabulous". Jordan retorts, "This belonged to Brooke Astor".<ref name="Irwin ring">{{cite book |last1=Irwin |first1=William |title=30 Rock and Philosophy: We Want to Go to There |date=2010 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=9780470632857}}</ref>
In an episode of ''[[Gossip Girl]]'', [[Blair Waldorf]] asks, "when did little [[Jenny Humphrey]] become the next Brooke Astor?"
Astor's biography was adapted into the musical ''Brooke Astor's Last Affair'', with book and lyrics by Rachael Migler and music by Eric Grunin. The play premiered at the 2019 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival.
==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*[[Astor family]]
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==External links==
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* [http://archives.nypl.org/uploads/collection/pdf_finding_aid/astorfnd.pdf Detailed description of donations by the Vincent Astor Foundation]
* Description of Mrs. Astor's 14-room duplex at [[Rosario Candela]]'s 778 Park Avenue including the oft-photographed [[Albert Hadley]] library. [http://www.stribling.com/propinfo.asp?webid=1074141 Sales offering as of June 2009] and [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/realestate/08deal1.html NYTimes Article 6FEB09]
* [https://nymag.com/news/features/40662/?ftr-promo Steve Fishman, "Mrs. Astor's Baby: The Fight for A Mother's Love, And Money", New York Magazine, November 12, 2007]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110721054307/http://www.nea.gov/honors/medals/medalists_year.html#88 Lifetime Honors – National Medal of Arts]
{{National Medal of Arts recipients 1980s|state=autocollapse}}
{{Authority control}}
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