October 24, 1957
Death of Christian Dior

Christian Dior died of a heart attack in Montecatini, Italy. His friend Pierre Bergé attended the funeral.

It was a national event. It was as if France had ceased to live.Christian Dior’s funeral was practically a national funeral. So many flowers were sent that, by evening, the house of Dior had all the flowers taken to the Place de l’Étoile. … When Dior’s coffin arrived in the Var region, where he was buried, it crossed through cities and towns where women bearing flowers were waiting.

Pierre Bergé, À voix nue.

Yves Saint Laurent, the couturier’s successor, was also present that day.

For me, working for Christian Dior was like a miracle had taken place. I had endless admiration for him. He was the most famous couturier of that time, and he was also capable of establishing a unique haute couture house and surrounding himself with irreplaceable people. … He taught me the roots of my art. I owe him a major part of my life, and no matter what happened to me later, I never forgot the years I spent at his side.

Yves Saint Laurent, cited in the Met catalogue, 1983.