Bernal was from Buenos Aires. She died at her Rathmines home on 26 April 2020 and was found post-mortem to have contracted COVID-19. At the request of her sister and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bernal's body was not repatriated. Her funeral took place on 15 May at St Michael's parish church in Foxford and she was buried afterwards at nearby Craggagh Cemetery. Foxford is where Admiral William Brown (who founded the Argentine Navy) was born, hence this choice. As well as her sister, Bernal was survived by niblings and a sister-in-law. 