Marilyn Monroe

Lore & Background

Monroe had suffered from mental illness and substance abuse, and had not completed a film since The Misfits, released on February 1, 1961, which was a box-office disappointment. She spent 1961 preoccupied with various health problems, including surgery for endometriosis and a cholecystectomy, and spent four weeks in hospital care—including a brief stint in a mental ward—for depression. In April 1962, she began filming Something's Got to Give for 20th Century Fox, but the studio fired her in early June.

Fox publicly blamed Monroe for the production's problems. In the weeks preceding her death, she attempted to repair her public image by giving several interviews to high-profile publications like Life, Cosmopolitan, and Vogue. She also began negotiations with Fox on being re-hired for Something's Got to Give and for starring roles in other productions.

On the day of her death, August 4, Monroe was at her Brentwood home. She was accompanied at various times by publicist Patricia Newcomb, housekeeper Eunice Murray, photographer Lawrence Schiller, and psychiatrist Ralph Greenson. At Greenson's request, Murray stayed overnight. At approximately 3 a.m. on August 5, Murray noticed Monroe had locked herself in her bedroom and appeared unresponsive.

Greenson arrived, entered the room by breaking a window, and found Monroe dead. Her death was officially ruled a probable suicide by the Los Angeles County coroner's office, based on information about her overdosing and being prone to mood swings and suicidal thoughts. The toxicological analysis concluded the cause of death was acute barbiturate poisoning; she had 8 mg% of chloral hydrate and 4.5 mg% of pentobarbital in her blood and a further 13 mg% of pentobarbital in her liver.

Did You Know?

• On May 19, 1962, Monroe sang 'Happy Birthday' on stage at President John F. Kennedy's birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden.
• Deputy coroner Thomas Noguchi conducted Monroe's autopsy on the same day she was found dead, August 5, 1962.