WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for The Conjuring: Last Rites.The Conjuring: Last Rites wraps up the story of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, reflecting the real-life couple’s history during their final years of life. The ninth film in the Conjuring franchise, Last Rites follows the Warrens when they investigate the case of the Smurl family haunting at the hands of a demon inhabiting a cursed mirror, giving them their biggest challenge yet.

While the movie focuses on the Warrens’ last case, the ending of Last Rites gives audiences a glimpse of what their lives are like afterward. Despite the writers taking huge creative liberties with the story, Last Rites gives an accurate depiction of the real Warrens’ lives, including their deaths.

The film also showed how their work impacted so many people in the years since the Smurl haunting, with their stories serving as inspirations for films like those in the Conjuring franchise. Now that the Warrens’ story in the Conjuring Universe has ended, here’s what became of them after the Smurl haunting case.

Ed & Lorraine’s Life Together After The Smurl Haunting Case

Following their work on the Smurl haunting case, Ed and Lorraine Warren published books about some of the most famous cases they had investigated. These cases include the Snedeker family haunting (which inspired The Haunting in Connecticut), the haunted Union Cemetery in Monroe, Connecticut, and the case of the Southend Werewolf.

The Warrens also published a book about the Smurl case in 1988 called The Haunted: One Family’s Nightmare. This book would serve as the inspiration for another film about the Smurl haunting, 1991’s The Haunted, which starred Oscar-nominated actor Sally Kirkland.

Ed and Lorraine also shared their knowledge of the occult by delivering lectures across the United States. Lorraine even served as a consultant for the Conjuring film franchise, specifically the first and second movies, in the final years of her life. Following the couple’s deaths, ownership of their Occult Museum was pᴀssed on to their daughter Judy and her husband, Tony Spera.

The Warrens’ post-Smurl life was showcased in the final montage in Last Rites, with Ed and Lorraine giving lectures and writing books. Ed even gave Tony the keys to the Occult Museum, symbolically pᴀssing the baton onto him as a new member of their family.

How & When Ed Died In Real Life

After Judy and Tony’s wedding, The Conjuring: Last Rites ends with a тιтle card revealing Ed Warren’s death decades after the Smurl haunting case. Ed died on August 23, 2006, at his home in Monroe, Connecticut, at the age of 79. He reportedly pᴀssed away due to complications from a stroke, years after having a heart attack in 2001 (via ATI).

Ed’s heart issues were depicted in The Conjuring Universe before the events of Last Rites. The film character had a heart attack during the exorcism of David Glatzel near the beginning of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.

This health issue was explored prominently in Last Rites, as it forced Ed into a temporary retirement from paranormal investigation. He was also forced to take heart medication and follow a special diet to maintain his health.

Ed nearly dies from another heart attack while facing the demon in Last Rites, harkening back to Father Merrin’s death in The Exorcist. However, Ed survives his battle with the demon in the film, and he goes on to die roughly 20 years later, just like the real Ed Warren. His death marked the end of a 61-year marriage to Lorraine.

How & When Lorraine Died In Real Life

Just like in Last Rites, the real Lorraine Warren lived far longer than her husband after the Smurl family case. Lorraine died on April 18, 2019, also in her home in Monroe, at the age of 92. The exact cause of her death hasn’t been revealed. However, she reportedly died “peacefully” in her sleep (via CNN).

Following her death, Lorraine was buried alongside her husband at Stepney Cemetery in Monroe. AP News claims that, before her pᴀssing, Lorraine had already “decided to retire from active investigations regarding the areas of haunted homes and demonic infestations/possession.” Nevertheless, Lorraine had served as a consultant to the New England Society for Psychic Research around the time of her pᴀssing.

With the end of the Smurl family haunting in The Conjuring: Last Rites, the Conjuring film franchise wrapped up the last big case of Ed and Lorraine’s lives as paranormal investigators. Aside from publishing their books and giving lectures, not much happened to the couple after their work on the Smurl case.

The couple didn’t encounter any other high-profile cases like the Amityville Horror or the Enfield poltergeist in the years before their deaths. However, the existence of The Conjuring Universe demonstrates the mᴀssive impact that their work had on the horror genre and studies into the supernatural.