Happy Rockefeller dies at 88; wife of Nelson Rockefeller

Most people can get a divorce without having the world hang on it," Margaretta "Happy" Rockefeller once told a reporter.
But in 1963, divorce was still a scandal. And she and her husband were not "most people."
That year, she married Nelson Rockefeller, the New York governor and front-runner for the 1964 Republican nomination for president. Their marital history was widely seen as a political drawback that cost him the ticket.
Happy Rockefeller, who ultimately served as the nation's second lady when her husband became Gerald Ford's vice president and used her prominence to help reshape public attitudes toward breast cancer, has died. She was 88.
A family spokesman said she died Tuesday at her home in Tarrytown, N.Y., after a short illness.

Notable Deaths

CaptionNotable Deaths of 2015

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CaptionB.B. King

Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times

The blues legend took the musical genre from the barrooms and back porches of the Mississippi Delta to Carnegie Hall and the world's toniest concert stages. The 15-time Grammy winner created a unique style that made him one of the most respected and influential blues musicians ever. He was 89. Full obituary

The blues legend took the musical genre from the barrooms and back porches of the Mississippi Delta to Carnegie Hall and the world's toniest concert stages. The 15-time Grammy winner created a unique style that made him one of the most respected and influential blues musicians ever. He was 89. Full obituary
(Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

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CaptionWilliam Zinsser

Damon Winter / New York Times

The writer and editor wrote "On Writing Well," a writing guide that hit bookstores across America in 1976. With more than 1 million copies sold, it became a sturdy companion for amateurs and professionals alike seeking to express themselves with clarity, economy and human warmth. He was 92. Full obituary

The writer and editor wrote "On Writing Well," a writing guide that hit bookstores across America in 1976. With more than 1 million copies sold, it became a sturdy companion for amateurs and professionals alike seeking to express themselves with clarity, economy and human warmth. He was 92. Full obituary
(Damon Winter / New York Times)

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CaptionRachel Rosenthal

Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times

The celebrated performance and theater artist brought experimental productions and other unclassifiable creations to audiences around Southern California. She was 88. Full obituary

The celebrated performance and theater artist brought experimental productions and other unclassifiable creations to audiences around Southern California. She was 88. Full obituary
(Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

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CaptionElizabeth Wilson

Archive Photos / Getty Images

Best known for her role as the clueless mother of a confused, young Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) in "The Graduate," Wilson also acted in more than 30 movies and numerous Broadway plays. She was 94. Full obituary

Best known for her role as the clueless mother of a confused, young Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) in "The Graduate," Wilson also acted in more than 30 movies and numerous Broadway plays. She was 94. Full obituary
(Archive Photos / Getty Images)

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Notable deaths of 2015

Photos of leaders, stars and other notable figures who died in 2015.

Notable deaths of 2015

Photos of leaders, stars and other notable figures who died in 2015.

In the early 1960s, the sexual revolution was still a distant rumble and divorce was viewed as a disgrace. So when the politically ambitious scion of the oil-rich Rockefeller clan ended his long first marriage to marry a socialite 18 years his junior — someone who had left her husband and four young children to be with him — the headlines were not confined to the society page.