Marilyn Monroe: Death Still Has Us Wondering After 50 Years
Although she enjoyed various relationships over the years–and a few marriages–the one that captured the whole world’s attention was the suspected tryst between the movie star and the president. It’s been speculated upon and dissected by many, but the secrets surrounding Monroe’s death and JFK’s involvement in it likely went to the grave with both of them.
In tapes released several years ago by Monroe’s psychiatrist, Dr. Ralph Greenson, Monroe sounds anything but suicidal; yet her death was deemed self-inflicted after it was discovered that she had a massive amount of barbiturates in her system. When her body was found and examined, no needle marks were found to suggest she had been injected with the drugs, yet the coroner discovered that the pills had entered her system through her large intestine, leading investigator John Miner to believe she had been given an enema which contained the drugs after being dosed with something strong enough to knock her unconscious. Several key points–including the fact that there was no glass of water in the room for Monroe to have washed down all those pills–led him to believe there was foul play involved. Indeed, her maid, Eunice Murray, was a key suspect after she gave an odd testimony as to what happened the night Monroe died and then later changed her story several times; for some reason, she was allowed to leave the country and was never pursued as a possible suspect.
Miner believes that Greenson destroyed the tapes after allowing him access to them during the investigation, because he didn’t want Monroe’s last words to fall into the wrong hands. He was adamant about protecting his client’s privacy, Miner says. If that’s true, it could be that the one thing which could give us answers about how she died is gone forever. And according to Miner, Monroe was not a person who was looking to end her life. She did, however, talk about her maid and how she wanted to get rid of her.
“Doctor, I want you to help me get rid of Murray,” she said. “I can’t flat out fire her. Next thing would be a book ‘Secrets of Marilyn Monroe by Her Housekeeper.’ She’d make a fortune spilling what she knows and she knows too damn much.”
Some 300 Marilyn Monroe fans gathered Sunday at the Los Angeles cemetery where she is buried, commemorating the iconic sex symbol on the 50th anniversary of her death.
Culminating a week of celebrations organised by various fan clubs, the ceremony was held at her final resting place in Westwood Village Memorial Park, a small patch of greenery between a parking lot and a residential part of the city.
Fans as well as friends and relatives paid homage to the actress, who died on August 5, 1962, from a barbiturate overdose at her home in the upscale Brentwood neighbourhood.
The hall where the tribute was held was too small to accommodate everyone, and so a white tent was erected among the trees where others could watch the ceremony via video transmission.
Most of the attendees listened attentively, standing and shielding their eyes from the blazing sun with programs that had been distributed.
Debbie Elder, a Monroe fan for 25 years, traveled to Los Angeles from her home in the faraway midwestern city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the week of tributes.
"She was such an icon. I don't think people took her seriously at all. She really was a very serious actress," Elder told AFP.
"One of the things I love most about her were her clothes. Nobody could wear clothes like her. She was so sexy," Elder added, her voice calm yet full of emotion.
Monroe's grave was covered with flowers, photos of the icon, as well as with messages and letters.
Several Monroe impersonators -- both men and women -- were also present.
While not among them, Christina Patchett from Nova Scotia, Canada, sported the icon's signature platinum blonde hair.
Like Elder, Patchett had traced the star's footsteps in old Hollywood during the week's festivities.
Patchett divulged that she watches Monroe's films "over and over and over," never taking her eyes off the star.
"Has there been anyone since? Not really," Patchett said. "There are beautiful women and actresses today, but no one like her."
Marilyn Monroe's mysterious death still fascinates after 50 years
One of Los Angeles' most enduring and debated death mysteries began 50 years ago today.
On Aug. 5, 1962, the body of Marilyn Monroe was found in the bedroom of her Brentwood home. The 36-year-old movie star was naked and face down on her bed.
An autopsy conducted by Dr. Thomas Noguchi, then deputy medical examiner for Los Angeles County, concluded that death was due to acute barbiturate poisoning, and a psychiatric team tied to the investigation termed it a "probable suicide."
Whether Monroe died by her own hand has been debated and dissected by books, documentaries, conspiracy theorists and Hollywood and Washington insiders alike for years.
Enough credence was given to the various reports that in 1982, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office reexamined the case.
The D.A.'s review concluded that "the cumulative evidence available to us fails to support any theory of criminal conduct relating to her death."
The Times investigated the questions surrounding Monroe's death in this story from 1995:
Through the years, questions have been
raised about whether she was murdered because of her association with
John and Robert Kennedy; the exact time the actress' body was
discovered; where she got the pills that killed her; and why an
ambulance was dispatched to the scene when official reports indicate
that she was lifeless when found.
In 2005, The Times looked at what officials have learned about her final days.Tell us your memories of Monroe and her thoughts on the debate over her death.
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