R.I.P. Sunny von Bulow

Martha “Sunny” von Bulow, the wealthy American heiress who was the subject of the 1990 film Reversal of Fortune, has died after spending 28 years in a coma. She was 76.

The only daughter of utilities magnate George Crawford, Martha Crawford inherited millions of dollars after her father’s untimely death when she was four. She married His Serene Highness Prince Alfred of Auersperg in 1957. They had two children before divorcing in 1965. A year later, Sunny married Claus von Bulow, then an aide to billionaire oil man J. Paul Getty. The two had a daughter, Cosima Iona von Bülow, who was born in 1967.

By 1980, tensions had begun to mount in Sunny and Claus’ marriage. In April of that year, Sunny slipped into a coma, which was attributed to reactive hypoglycemia. At a Christmas celebration with her family on December 21, 1980, Sunny appeared disoriented and confused. Given her reputation as a heavy drinker and pill popper, her family put her to bed. The next morning, however, it was apparent that she had something far more serious than a hangover. She was rushed to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with brain damage severe enough to leave her in a coma.

Given Sunny’s massive wealth and the trouble in the marriage, Claus was immediately suspected of being involved in her health troubles. Sunny’s two eldest children hired Richard H. Kuh, a former District Attorney for New York County, to investigate. Kuh obtained some evidence, which he then turned over to authorities in Rhode Island. Claus was charged with two counts of attempted murder in July, 1981. Bulow, portrayed as creepy and lecherous in local media, was convicted on both counts.

von Bulow then hired Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz to handle his appeal. According to the film – which starred Glenn Close as Sunny and Jeremy Irons as von Bulow – Dershowitz was initially repulsed by von Bulow. However, he was more repulsed by the fact that Sunny’s children had hired what amounted to a private DA against Claus. Dershowitz called Truman Capote and Joanne Carson (Johnny’s second wife) to testify about Sunny’s excessive recreational drug use, and also called upon a “dream team” of world-class medical experts to debunk the prosecution’s medical evidence.

von Bulow was eventually aquitted of all charges. He renounced any connection he might have with his wife’s wealth and left the country. Sunny remained in a coma until her death today.