Charlene Marshall, who became widely known due to her involvement in the highly publicized Brooke Astor estate scandal, passed away on August 6, 2024, at her home in Northeast Harbor, Maine. She was 79. A representative from St. Jude’s Episcopal Church in Seal Harbor, Maine, where her funeral was held, confirmed her death but did not disclose the cause.
Charlene gained notoriety in the mid-2000s as the wife of Anthony Marshall, the only son of the late Brooke Astor, a wealthy New York socialite. The couple was at the center of a civil suit and a criminal trial that gripped New York society. Anthony was convicted of defrauding his mother, an elderly woman with dementia, in a case that exposed the dark side of inheritance battles among the elite.
Although Charlene Marshall was never charged with any crime, she was often painted in a negative light by the media and those involved in the case. Her role in the controversy was largely speculative, with many accusing her of being the driving force behind her husband’s actions, motivated by a desire for wealth and status. Despite the harsh criticism, Charlene remained by her husband’s side throughout the ordeal, a fact noted by friends and advisors close to the couple.
The scandal, which involved a nine-figure inheritance and multiple revisions of Astor’s will, left a lasting impact on New York’s upper echelons, splitting opinions on whether Charlene and Anthony were perpetrators or victims of a self-interested social elite.
Charlene Marshall was born Charlene Detwiler Tyler on July 28, 1945, in Charleston, South Carolina. She married Paul Gilbert, an Episcopal minister, in 1968 and later settled in Northeast Harbor, Maine. It was there that she met Anthony Marshall, leading to a controversial union that would later become the subject of intense media scrutiny.
On social media, several friends and colleagues expressed their condolences following Charlene’s death. Albert Poland reflected on their shared experiences in theater, stating, "CHARLENE MARSHALL has passed. She can now join Tony who predeceased her in 2014." Others, like Sally Jacobs Baker and Richard Skipper, offered brief messages of sympathy, while Howard Rogut commented on the passage of time, saying, "Life is flying by far too fast. May they both rest in peace."
Charlene Marshall is survived by her children from her first marriage, Arden Delacey, Robert Gilbert, and Inness Hancock, as well as several grandchildren. Her passing marks the end of a chapter in a story that once captivated the nation, leaving behind a legacy that is as complex as it is tragic.