She remained in that capacity, as the first woman ever to serve on that board, and went on to sign a publicity contract as a spokesperson for the company. With the help of Jane Kesner Ardmore, Crawford penned an autobiography in 1962, A Portrait of Joan; in 1971, she wrote a memoir called My Way of Life. Although conflicting reports surfaced over the years, Crawford professed devotion to her children repeatedly during her lifetime. She used her prominence and popularity to politicize in behalf of adoptive parents. She died of a heart attack at her home in New York on May 18, 1977. Sixteen years later, in 1993, her Oscar trophy sold at auction for $68,500.