After his handlers died in the mid-'60s, he was put into a hospital in the Los Angeles area. Thankfully, another sideshow performer (a sword swallower) was working at the hospital when they saw Schlitzie and took him out to start performing again. He loved to perform and hang around feeding pigeons in MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. He died in 1971 and was buried in an unmarked grave, but fans of his were able to collect enough money to buy him a headstone and hold a proper burial.