Later Life, Controversial Autobiography
In 1960, when de Acosta was seriously ill with a brain tumor and in need of money, she published her memoir, Here Lies the Heart. The reviews were positive and many close friends praised the book. But its allusions to homosexuality resulted in the severance of several friendships with women who felt she had betrayed their sexuality. Garbo also ended their friendship at this time. Eva Le Gallienne in particular was furious, denouncing de Acosta as a liar and stating that she invented the stories for fame. This characterization is inaccurate, however, since many of her affairs and relationships with women, including that with Le Gallienne, are confirmed in personal correspondence. In any case, she gained a reputation that was not appreciated by everyone. But as Alice B. Toklas, lover of Gertrude Stein and de Acosta's long-term friend, wrote to a disapproving critic, "Say what you will about Mercedes, she’s had the most important women of the twentieth century".
De Acosta died at age 75 in poverty. She is buried at Trinity Cemetery in Washington Heights, New York City.
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