"Titanic" stars donate to final survivor (Wizbang Pop!)

"Titanic" stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet and the film's director James Cameron have responded to a challenge and donated $30,000 to support the last survivor of the Titanic in her last years, a representative for DiCaprio said on Monday.

The survivor, 97-year-old Millvina Dean, has reportedly resorted to selling her autograph to pay her nursing home bills in Southampton, the English city from which "Titanic" began its fateful maiden voyage in 1912.

Dean was only 9 weeks old when her family traveled on Titanic in hopes of beginning a new life in the United States. Her father was one of the 1,517 casualties after the supposedly unsinkable ship hit an iceberg in the Atlantic.

DiCaprio, Winslet and Cameron made their combined $30,000 donation after Irish author and photographer Don Mullan publicly challenged them to match his donation, said Ken Sunshine, a spokesman for DiCaprio. Mullan, who photographed Dean for an exhibition, made his appeal last month in the Irish Independent newspaper.

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Comments (4)

$30,000? COMBINED? After ma... (Below threshold)

1. Posted by Mary | May 12, 2009 9:01 AM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)

Mary:

$30,000? COMBINED? After making millions on this film?
They should be embarrassed

Posted on May 12, 2009 09:01

Nice to see how well a Soci... (Below threshold)

2. Posted by epador | May 12, 2009 11:52 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

epador:

Nice to see how well a Socialistic economy supports its elderly, isn't it?

Posted on May 12, 2009 11:52

I think they should support... (Below threshold)

3. Posted by John | May 14, 2009 10:00 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

John:

I think they should support her until the day she dies. At 97 she wont be around too much longer anyway. I know it's not up to them but if they want to volunteer to help, they should do it right.

Posted on May 14, 2009 22:00

Yes it was true. In fact, D... (Below threshold)

4. Posted by Jarod B. | May 18, 2009 2:58 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Jarod B.:

Yes it was true. In fact, Don Mullan, an Iris photographer and activist, started the MIllivina Fund which where Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio and James Cameron have donated. Millvina Dean was the last living survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. She was nine (9) weeks old when the Titanic sank and in her twilight years she has run into dire financial straits. Fortunately, Hollywood heavyweights have come to her aid when her nursing home fees have gotten a bit out of hand and mere pay day loans wouldn't cover them. DThanks to these gallant philanthropists for their aiding"vote for" Millvina Dean, Last Titanic Survivor, Saved by Stars" and her debt relief.

Posted on May 18, 2009 02:58