Thursdon stressed that the overdose had been unintentional and that there was no evidence to suggest she had committed suicide. Garland's autopsy showed that there was no inflammation of her stomach lining and no drug residue in her stomach, which indicated that the drug had been ingested over a long period of time, rather than in one dose.

Her death certificate stated that her death had been "accidental." Even so, a British specialist who had attended Garland said she had been living on borrowed time due to cirrhosis of the liver. Garland had turned 47 just 12 days prior to her death.

Her Wizard of Oz co-star Ray Bolger commented at Garland's funeral, "She just plain wore out." An estimated 20,000 people lined up for hours at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel to view her body. Garland was interred in Ferncliff Cemetery, in Hartsdale, New York

Garland's five husbands were: composer David Rose (1941-44), Vincente Minnelli (1945-51), manager Sid Luft (1952-65), actor Mark Herron (1965-67), and restaurant manager Mickey Deans (1968 until her death). She had one child with Minelli (Liza Minelli) and two with Sid Luft: Lorna Luft (b. 1952) and Joseph Luft (b. 1955)

Though not gay herself, Garland somehow became an enduring icon for the gay community, and the term "Friend of Dorothy" became pop culture shorthand for a gay man.

In 1997 Garland was posthumously awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and several of her recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 1999, the American Film Institute placed her among the ten greatest female stars in the history of American cinema (at number eight).

70th Anniversary Edition of the family classic, The Wizard of Oz, which is released on sing-a-long Blu-ray and DVD from 2nd November.

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