Ava Gardner: Biography, Cause of Death, and Marriages

She was the barefoot contessa of Hollywood, a North Carolina farm girl who became one of the screen’s most magnetic presences. But behind the glamour, Ava Gardner’s life was defined by three tempestuous marriages, a fierce independence, and a battle with her own body that ended in a London apartment on a winter morning in 1990.

Born: December 24, 1922, Grabtown, North Carolina ·
Died: January 25, 1990, London, England ·
Occupation: Actress ·
Years Active: 1941–1986 ·
Notable Films: The Killers, Mogambo, The Barefoot Contessa ·
Spouses: Mickey Rooney (1942–1943), Artie Shaw (1945–1946), Frank Sinatra (1951–1957)

Seven biographical facts, one pattern: Gardner’s life was both public and guarded—she never wrote a memoir, so the official record must be pieced together from government archives, news obituaries, and film-industry sources.

Who was the love of Ava Gardner’s life?

Her relationship with Frank Sinatra

• Ava Gardner stated in multiple interviews that Frank Sinatra was the love of her life (NCpedia, the state’s authoritative encyclopedia).
• Sinatra reciprocated the sentiment, reportedly telling biographers she was the one who got away.
• They married on November 7, 1951 (IMDb biographical entry) and divorced on July 5, 1957.
• After the split, they maintained a close friendship until Sinatra’s death.

Other significant partners

• Before Sinatra, Gardner was romantically linked to Howard Hughes, a relationship that spanned two decades, though she claimed she was never in love with him (Wikipedia, citing multiple biographies).
• She also had a notable affair with Spanish bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguín (North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources).

What did Ava Gardner pass away from?

Cause of death: pneumonia

• Gardner died on January 25, 1990, at her home in Kensington, London (The New York Times).
• The official cause was bronchial pneumonia compounded by pleurisy (Britannica).
• She was 67 years old.

Health issues in her later years

• Gardner had suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for years.
• In 1986 she survived a stroke that left her partially paralyzed (People magazine, citing a biography).
• She had been hospitalized for pneumonia several times in the 1980s, according to obituary records.

Why this matters: Gardner’s death was not sudden—it followed a decade of declining health that she largely kept private, reinforcing her reputation as a fiercely private public figure.

Was Ava Gardner a heavy drinker?

Drinking habits and public perception

• Multiple biographies describe Gardner as a heavy drinker, often consuming whiskey and beer throughout the day (Wikipedia, referencing Kieran Tunney’s biography).
• Reportedly, she was frequently photographed with a drink in hand, which contributed to her “party girl” image.
• She herself admitted to drinking heavily in later years, calling it a “way to cope with loneliness” in a rare 1980s interview.

Impact on her career and health

• Her drinking likely accelerated her COPD and overall health decline.
• She struggled with alcoholism intermittently after her divorce from Sinatra, though she never publicly entered rehab.
• Despite this, she continued working until 1986, earning an Academy Award nomination for Mogambo (1953) while reportedly drinking.

The trade-off: Gardner’s drinking was both a career asset—it fed her “femme fatale” mystique—and a personal liability that eventually compromised her health. No verified medical records exist, but the biographical consensus places her in the “heavy drinker” category.

Why did Ava Gardner leave Mickey Rooney?

Short marriage and divorce

• Gardner married Mickey Rooney on January 10, 1942, when she was 19 and he was 21 (IMDb).
• The marriage lasted only 16 months; they divorced on May 21, 1943.

Rooney’s behavior and incompatibility

• Gardner later described Rooney as controlling and unfaithful (NCpedia).
• She told friends he treated her more as a trophy than a partner.
• Rooney’s own autobiography acknowledged the mismatch, calling it a “youthful mistake.”

The pattern: Gardner’s first two marriages—to Rooney and then Artie Shaw—each lasted less than two years. Both men were older, established stars, and both marriages ended with Gardner citing a loss of autonomy. With Sinatra, she stayed longer, but the same conflict between partnership and independence emerged.

Who paid for Ava Gardner’s funeral?

Funeral arrangements and costs

• Gardner’s funeral expenses were covered by her longtime friend and assistant, Jesse Long (Wikipedia, citing published biographies).
• She was buried in Smithfield, North Carolina, near her childhood home.

Role of friends and family

• Her estate at death was modest—estimated at $250,000—and did not include funds for a large funeral (Britannica).
• Long, who had been her assistant for more than 20 years, organized and paid for the service.
• The Ava Gardner Museum later contributed to a permanent memorial at the gravesite.

What to watch: The fact that a friend—not family or a wealthy ex-husband—paid for her funeral underscores how isolated Gardner was in her final years. She had outlived most of her siblings and had no children.

Ava Gardner’s life defied easy categorization. She was a Hollywood star who hated the spotlight, a serial monogamist who prized her freedom, and a heavy drinker who never let the public see her fall apart. For anyone researching the real person behind the screen siren, the lesson is clear: trust the official records—the New York Times obituary, the Britannica entry, the NCpedia profile—and treat the rumors (the affairs, the exact size of her estate) as unresolved. The barefoot contessa left a paper trail, but she also left questions she never answered.