mansfield was killed in a car crash in june 1967. she was going to new orleans for a television interview when her car crashed into the back of a truck. her lover sam brody and her driver ronnie harrison were also killed. three of her children - miklós, zoltán and mariska - escaped death with minor injuries. an urban legend about mansfield being decapitated in the crash is untrue. she was buried on july 3 in pennsylvania. her gravestone is heart-shaped.