Edith Tolkien died in 1971.
Edith Bratt and J.R.R. Tolkien met as teenagers in Birmingham and formed a close relationship. Tolkien’s guardian initially opposed the romance, and Tolkien was instructed not to contact Edith until he turned 21. He reunited with her in 1913, and they married in 1916.
Edith supported Tolkien through his military service, academic career, and writing life. Their relationship helped inspire the story of Beren and Lúthien, a central love story in Tolkien’s mythology. Tolkien later described Edith as the real-world inspiration for Lúthien, while he associated himself with Beren.
Edith died on 29 November 1971, aged 82, in Oxford. Tolkien died less than two years later, in September 1973. Their shared grave in Wolvercote Cemetery bears the names “Beren” and “Lúthien,” connecting their marriage with the fictional legend that reflected it.