January 1: Joan's friend, Frances Spingold, passes away at age 90 in Palm Springs, Florida.
February 14: Joan's daughter, Christina, marries her second husband, David Koontz in California.
March: Joan's Imperial House apartment (22H) is featured in the March/April issue (Volume 32, No 5.) of Architectural Digest magazine.
March: Joan appears in voice-over promotional trailers for New York's WNET Channel 13's "Cinema 13."
March: Joan's daughter, Cynthia Jordan, divorces her husband.
April 2: Columnist Earl Wilson reports that Joan has acquired a 37-foot cabin cruiser boat for her birthday. In a letter dated October 5th, 1976, Joan confirms it's a rumor and she doesn't know how it began.
May 15: Joan has her Meyrowitz-brand eyeglasses adjusted.
June: Joan tells several friends that her apartment is being painted. Whether this was true or a tactic used to avoid guests, has not be confirmed. In a response letter dated July 8th, 1976, to a fan inquiring about meeting for an interview, Joan writes that she is in the middle of painting her apartment, and having a new stove and oven installed, and therefore has no idea when it will all be completed and cannot commit to setting a date.
July: Artist Michael Vollbracht visits with Joan at her New York apartment. (Source: Webmaster's contact with Shaun Considine on 04/27/2013)
August 11: Joan poses for what is to be her final photo shoot. The photographs are taken by John Engstead in Joan's Imperial House apartment. Joan pays Engstead $340 for the photo shoot. The photos will later accompany Joan's Christmas greetings to close friends.
September: Joan is voted to be inducted into the Motion Picture Hall of Fame.
September 4: Joan sends condolences to comedian Marty Allen on the death of his wife, Lorraine "Frenchy" Allen, who had passed away on September 3rd.
September 6: Joan entertains Peter Roger's friend, William Whiteside, from San Francisco at her apartment. For fun, the two play Backgammon together.
October 15: Joan sends a $15.00 check to the Motion Picture Hall of Fame for her membership application.
October 28: Joan signs her last will and testament at her apartment in Imperial House.
November 20: Joan's character in "Mildred Pierce" is spoofed on "The Carol Burnett Show," in a skit entitled "Mildred Fierce."
November 28: Joan's friend, Rosalind Russell, dies of cancer in Beverly Hills, California.
November 30: Joan is reportedly offended when she watches "The Carol Burnett Show" spoof her performance in "Torch Song" during a sketch called "Torchy Song." Burnett later said that she had previously telephoned Joan to get an "ok" before performing the sketch.
December: Shaun Considine talks with Joan over the telephone. Mr. Considine later reported that Joan sounded very well. (Source: Webmaster's contact with Shaun Considine 04/27/2013)
December: Joan begins giving away personal possessions to close friends (Source: Carleton Varney)
December: Because of back pain, Joan orders a new, firmer mattress. Until the new mattress can be delivered, Joan places her existing mattress on the floor for added support. (Source: "Crawford: The Last Years")
Late December: Joan's friend, Carl Johnes, visits her for the last time. Johnes finds Joan looking thinner and walking slumped over due to back pain.
When a grocery delivery arrives at Joan's apartment during his visit, Joan insists on carrying the bags into the kitchen on her own without help.