Coco Chanel
As 1971 began, Chanel was 87 years old, tired, and ailing. She carried out her usual routine of preparing the spring catalogue. She had gone for a long drive the afternoon of Saturday, 9 January. Soon after, feeling ill, she went to bed early. She died on Sunday, 10 January 1971, at the Hotel Ritz, where she had resided for more than 30 years.
Her funeral was held at the Église de la Madeleine; her fashion models occupied the first seats during the ceremony and her coffin was covered with white flowers—camellias, gardenias, orchids, azaleas and a few red roses. She died in her infamous style, announcing: "You see, this is how you die."
Karen Boccalero
Karen Boccalero died in 1997, at age 64 of a heart attack. A traditional altar was erected in her memory, covered in artworks, photos, cigarette boxes, and marigolds. There was a tribute exhibit to Sister Karen on the tenth anniversary of her death, at Self Help Graphics & Art. Posters by Boccalero and other artists from her community were part of the "American Sabor" exhibit at Bob Bullock Museum in 2010. Work by Sister Karen was also featured in "Now Dig This! Art and Black Los Angeles, 1960–1980," a 2011–2013 traveling show organized by the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles.