Doyenne Dies in Style at NY Hotel

Marie-Dennett McDill spent her last 10 weeks at the Carlyle, a place she loved
By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 22, 2008 3:57 PM CDT
Doyenne Dies in Style at NY Hotel
The interior of the Carlyle Hotel.   (AP Photo)

When 71-year-old Marie-Dennett McDill learned she had terminal cancer, her children checked her into her beloved Carlyle Hotel, the Times reports. McDill stayed at her favorite swanky locale in NYC under 24-hour hospice care for her last 10 weeks. She took daily walks in Central Park and camped out in the hotel’s piano lounge, requesting Cole Porter ‘til the end.

“It was a unique request,” the hotel’s residency manager said, “one I’ve never had previously.” McDill was a longtime guest, though, and the manager even witnessed her will. Suites at the Carlyle run about $17,000 a month, but McDill’s children were sure it was for the best. “It wasn’t the inexpensive option, but it was the greatest comfort we could afford, so of course we would do that for her,” her son said. (More death stories.)

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