The Rise and Fall of Marilyn Monroe ~ Part 2
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Soon, Monroe’s pharmaceutical dependency escalated and she became even more difficult to work with. In 1957, Monroe took an 18-month hiatus. During that time she suffered an ectopic pregnancy and a miscarriage. Both probably due to her endometriosis. She was also briefly hospitalised due to a barbiturate overdose. Miller wrote ‘The Misfits’ for her so she would, at last, have a dramatic role. Monroe was annoyed that the role mirrored their married life too much. Whilst filming, her health deteriorated, suffering from gallstones. Her drug addiction was so bad that her makeup was applied while she was asleep under the influence of barbiturates. After filming finished Monroe and Miller separated and got a Mexican Divorce in January 1961.
Instead of working, the first 6 months of 1961 were full of health issues. Monroe had her gallbladder removed and surgery for her endometriosis. She also spent 4 weeks hospitalised for depression. During this time she rekindled a friendship with ex DiMaggio who helped her in her recovery and dated Frank Sinatra for several months. Eventually in early 1962 Monroe permanently moved back to California, buying her house at 12305 Fifth Helena Drive in Brentwood, Los Angeles.
Spring 1962, Monroe was back in the public eye and received a ‘World Favourite Film’ Golden Globe Award. She started filming the unfinished Somethings Gotta Give. Due to several bouts of sick leave, Monroe was fired and production was shut down. Fox then sued her for $750,000 in damages.
May 19, 1962, Monroe famously sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to the then-president JFK at his birthday celebrations in New York. Singing the lyrics she penned herself and wore a skin-tight nude dress covered in rhinestones making her look naked. Kennedy was somewhat known for having his fair share of extramarital affairs, his most famous one being his alleged affair with Marilyn Monore. This birthday performance was supposedly arranged when they previously spent the night together at Bing Crosby’s house after a party. Although many believe their affair to be true there is only one known photo of the two of them together which was taken the night of the fundraiser. Marilyn had also been linked with JFK’s brother Robert around the same time, and it is said that they had a blazing argument on the phone before she died.
In an attempt to repair her public image Monroe did interviews with both ‘Life’ and ‘Cosmopolitan’, followed by her first and last photoshoot for ‘Vogue’. The ‘Vogue’ shoot was published posthumously titled ‘The Last Sitting’.
Just three months after her Kennedy performance Monroe was found dead on August 5, 1962, in her LA home after having died the previous night. Aged 36, the death was ruled a suicide due to acute barbiturate poisoning. Empty medicine bottles were found next to her bed. The possibility that Monroe had accidentally overdosed was ruled out because the dosages found in her body were several times over the lethal limit.
Her funeral, held at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery on August 8, was private and attended by only her closest friends. The service was arranged by Joe DiMaggio and Monroe’s business manager Inez Melson. Hundreds of spectators crowded the streets around the cemetery. Monroe was later entombed at Crypt No. 24 at the Corridor of Memories.
In the following decades, several conspiracy theories, including murder and accidental overdose, have been introduced to contradict suicide as the cause of Monroe’s death. The murder theory became so widespread that Los Angeles County District Attorney, John Van de Kamp conducted a threshold investigation in 1982 to determine whether a criminal investigation should be opened. However, no evidence fo foul play was found.
Many theorists believe that her death was a coverup for the Kennedy affairs and that her missing diary holds the key to what really happened. Multiple items of evidence went missing after her death and many witness statements of those who found her timelines didn’t match up or were changed at a later date. The coroner has also since claimed that he was coerced to sign her death certificate.
There are many facts which cause people to believe she was murdered:
That she was found naked, face down with the phone in her hand.
Bruises on her body were left out of the autopsy report.
No traces of pills were found in her stomach, but in her bloodstream which suggested injection rather than oral ingestion which coroner’s report claimed.
Some also believe that her Doctor and Housekeeper staged her death after giving her a chloral hydrate enema (which she was known for having) that ultimately caused her death due to her having taken other substances also. She was found in/on clean sheets and apparently looked like she had been placed on her front in a straight position. This seemed odd as those whose die of an overdose tend to convulse before death. Also, when policemen entered Monroe’s house the housekeeper was doing the laundry like she was trying to cover something up.
Whether you believe it to be suicide, murder or some sort of cover up Monroe died far too young and will be remembered by many.
