( CNN ) -- Evelyn Einstein , who spent the last years of her life trying to fight for money generated by her late grandfather Albert 's estate , has died , her close friend said Wednesday . The friend , Allen Wilkinson , said the two had just started to work on her memoirs . `` She always said her grandfather was n't this great god of science , to her he was just Grandpa , '' Wilkinson said . Einstein had been ill for years suffering from heart problems and diabetes . She died at her home in Albany , California , last week , Wilkinson said . Albert Einstein made many contributions to modern science , but it 's the videos , bobblehead dolls and Halloween masks using his image that continue to generate millions of dollars long after his death . Evelyn Einstein told CNN she had n't received a dime from the marketing and sales of Einstein merchandise , while others have profited . `` I 'm outraged , '' she told CNN in a February interview , adding that she was a 69-year-old cancer survivor and needed the money for health care . `` It 's hard for me to believe they would treat the family the way they have , which has been abysmally . '' Her grandfather , the German-born physicist who formulated the general theory of relativity , bequeathed the literary rights for the more than 75,000 papers and other items in his estate to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem when he died in 1955 . The Israeli university also owns the rights to his likeness , using a Los Angeles-based company called Greenlight LLC to handle licensing for items such as Einstein apparel , mugs , puzzles , coins , posters and other collectibles . `` What does a bobblehead have to do with a literary estate ? '' asked Evelyn Einstein , who said she had been ignored by the university in her requests for an arrangement that would allow her to profit from the sales . Just recently she had begun preparations to sue the university . The school responded with a statement saying , `` Einstein left all of his intellectual property , encompassing his literary estate and personal papers , to the Hebrew University , including the rights to the use of his image . '' The statement added that `` the income of the university from the use of his image is dedicated to scientific research . '' Greenlight spokesman Dan Perlet said the company has strict guidelines covering the dozens of annual requests to license the Einstein name , including ones from Disney and Baby Einstein . It asks whether the companies seek to promote the scientists ' values , intellectual curiosity and innovation , Perlet said . Einstein , known for his wry sense of humor when he was alive , is paid homage in an animated television show called `` Little Einsteins '' long after his death . The show , which airs on Disney Playhouse , has generated DVDs , books and toys . The famed physicist was crowned Time magazine 's person of the century in 1999 , where he was described as `` the pre-eminent scientist in a century dominated by science . A memorial service for Evelyn Einstein is planned for June . She requested that her ashes be scattered in the Berkeley , California , marina .
Einstein 's family had been desperate for money from his estate . Evelyn Einstein had been ill for years with heart disease and diabetes . She had gotten nothing from the use of Albert Einstein 's name on apparel , mugs , etc .