Did Joan Crawford Commit Suicide? 'Feud' Finale Reignites Theory

The tragic and moving conclusion of Ryan Murphy's series "Feud: Bette and Joan" has renewed speculation in rumors that the cause of Joan Crawford's death was suicide brought on by depression.

"Did Joan Crawford take her own life?" wrote author Doris Lilly for People magazine following the star's death in 1977. Lilly, who authored the best-selling book "How to Marry a Millionaire," was a close friend and confidante of Crawford, and was her neighbor in her Manhattan apartment building.

"As an experienced reporter and Joan's friend, I can only conclude that she did. She was cremated, according to her wishes, and no autopsy was performed to see if she might have taken an overdose of sleeping pills. Yet there is much evidence that she was preparing to die."

The evidence spelled out by Lilly to support her theory showed tragic last days for the former "Queen of Hollywood." Months prior to her death, Crawford started "cleaning out" her apartment and giving belongings away. The day before her death, she sent her pet dog to be taken care of by friends. Her death, which coincided with the 22nd anniversary to her marriage to Pepsi Cola chairman Alfred Steele, took place two days after Mother's Day, when none of her four adopted children came to see her.

"Doris, I'm so unhappy. I can't go on living," Lilly recounted. "Then she began sobbing uncontrollably and I told her to pull herself together."

"I spoke to her for close to an hour. By the time I hung up, I felt that maybe I hadn't done enough. I was frightened for her. The next day she was dead." Lilly said.

Lilly wasn't alone in believing that the Oscar winner took her own life with sleeping pills. Crawford's daughter Cynthia also believes that her mother planned her final exit.

According to the Daily Mail, upon learning that her mother's cause of death was officially deemed an "acute coronary occlusion," Cynthia noted that Crawford had been battling cancer and had absolutely no history of heart problems.

An autopsy was never performed.