By the spring of 1981, Manley's health had deteriorated to the point that she could no longer live in her apartment. She moved into a rest home run by former Negro league player Quincy Trouppe. Manley told Trouppe that she would go to the hospital to get checked out. She had cancer of the colon, which progressed into peritonitis after surgery. Manley had a heart attack and died on April 16, 1981, having never returned to the rest home. She died just four days after boxer Joe Louis, her sports idol, who had been one of the most influential black athletes of that time. Manley was buried in Culver City at the Holy Cross Cemetery.
