Princess Grace of Monaco died on this day in September 1982 of the injuries she sustained in a car crash near Monte Carlo.
The Hollywood actress Grace Kelly, who starred in the Alfred Hitchcock hits Dial M for Murder and Rear Window, suffered a brain haemorrhage.
A statement issued by the royal palace said she died at 2130 GMT after her conditioned worsened throughout the morning and become irreversible by the afternoon.
It also said that the former film star’s husband, Monaco’s head of state, Prince Rainier, and her three children were at her bedside when she died.
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The US-born princess’s youngest daughter Stephanie was in the car at the time of the accident, but suffered only light bruising.
The news of her death was unexpected as previous reports from the palace had indicated that, despite broken ribs, leg and collarbone, she was in a stable condition. The Monaco royal family also released an account of the accident and said the princess had lost control of the car when the brakes failed.
After leaving the road her 10-year-old Rover tumbled 100 ft (30.5m) down a ravine, turning over several times before coming to rest in a garden.
But a witness who was driving behind the two princesses said the car began zigzagging erratically sometime before the crash happened.