Madeline Astor Continues to Court Scandal
Although the loss of Astor shattered the young bride, the young widow found love again in 1916, marrying childhood friend William Dick. She gave up the house, her trust fund, and a name that kept her in society papers. The couple had two sons, but ultimately divorce in 1933. She then married a prizefighter, Enzo Fiermonte, but it the marriage foundered, becoming violent. They divorced in 1938 on grounds of “extreme cruelty.”
Fiermonte sold his story to a tabloid, a serialized version of their marriage from his perspective. Around this time, she started taking (and possibly abusing) prescription drugs to ease the blows from Fiermonte and grief from the loss of her mother. Even in death, Madeline couldn’t escape scandal. In March of 1940, Madeline passed away at 46, officially from heart failure, although rumors circulated about the role her prescription drugs might have played in her death.
