Constance Mary Wilde Passes Away at Age 40
Constance Mary Wilde passes away at the age of 40 after a botched operation now believed to have been for multiple sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis was little understood at the time, thus leading her doctors to misdiagnose her, likely leading to her death. Her untimely death left Oscar Wilde a widower for his remaining two years of life.
Oscar and Constance had a complicated relationship, beginning extraordinarily well in their first years of marriage with Oscar being highly supportive of Constance's decorative tastes, individual literary career, and enthusiasm for women's rights. Despite his infidelity later in life, and the legal battles of 1895 that would result, she continued to support him and would visit him while he served out his prison sentence.
Both were survived by their two children, Cyril (1885-1915) and Vyvyan (1886-1967), who wrote highly of their childhoods, prior to their father's trial, and held their parents in high regard.
Source:
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/jan/02/death-oscar-wilde-wife-s...