( CNN ) -- Sandra Herold , the owner of a chimpanzee that was involved in a vicious attack on her friend last year , has died , her attorney said Tuesday . She was 72 . Herold suffered a ruptured aortic aneurysm Monday night , Roger Golger said . Herold `` had suffered a series of heartbreaking losses over the last several years , beginning with the death of her only child , then her husband , then her beloved chimp Travis , as well as the tragic maiming of friend and employee Charla Nash , '' Golger said . Nash lost her nose , upper and lower lips , eyelids and both her hands in the attack in February 2009 , as well as the `` bony structures in her mid-face , '' according to doctors . More than a year later , numerous surgeries and therapy sessions have helped Nash regain some mobility . Her family filed a lawsuit against Herold shortly after the attack , seeking $ 50 million in damages . Criminal charges were not filed , however , because authorities ruled Herold was not aware of the risk her pet posed . `` This past year was particularly difficult for Sandy , '' Golger said . `` She hated living alone in a house where she faced constant reminders of the vibrant and happy life she once led with her family and friends . The stress of defending a multimillion-dollar lawsuit and all that it entailed also weighed heavy on Sandy . In the end , her heart , which had been broken so many times before , could take no more . '' The attack occurred February 16 , 2009 , when Herold called Nash for help in getting Travis back inside her house after he used a key to escape . When Nash arrived at the Stamford , Connecticut , home , the chimp , who had been featured in TV commercials for Coca-Cola and Old Navy , jumped on her and began biting and mauling her . Police shot Travis to halt the attack and he later died of gunshot wounds . The mauling has raised questions about whether exotic animals should be kept as pets . Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has said that primates and crocodiles should be added to a state list of animals that citizens are not allowed to own . Nash was discharged from the famed Cleveland Clinic , where doctors performed the nation 's first face transplant , earlier this month . She is continuing her recovery at Brigham and Women 's Hospital in Boston , Massachusetts , where doctors have said she is a candidate for a face transplant . CNN 's Stephanie Gallman contributed to this report .
Sandra Herold died Monday of a ruptured aortic aneurysm . Her chimpanzee , Travis , mauled friend Charla Nash in February 2009 . Herold 's heart `` could take no more '' after a `` difficult '' year , attorney says . Score: 6