45th Anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's Death

Marilyn Monroe is a screen legend and personality who has possibly become more famous since her death 45 years ago. As enduring as her image is, it is hard to believe that the actress has been gone since 1962.

Marilyn Monroe is not the first celebrity to tragically die prematurely, and she is not the last.actress or actor to end up sadly. The machine which is Hollywood is notorious for chewing up people and spitting them out when done with them. Somehow, however, the blond sex symbol has become an enduring legend.

Monroe is an icon, who reportedly was the role model for Anna Nicole, another blond bombshell who tragically died young earlier this year after her life in the fast lane spun out of control with addiction to drugs and alcohol.

Indeed, the life of Marilyn Monroe could be considered a cautionary tale for today's spoiled crop of "bad-girl" actresses and celebrities , including Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Nicole Richie.

Marilyn appeared to live the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle as much as anyone possibly could. Yet the actress ended up broken, nearly broke and alone. Which only goes to show that international fame does not shield you from ending up the same as a lot of other sad stories out in the world.

Somewhere in our fantasy life, we seem to think that celebrities that seem bigger than life are exempt from the consequences of their behavior or plain old misfortune. It's possible that they also believe that nothing bad could really happen to them. Indeed, they do have staff and movie studios to protect them from many of the mundane aspects of life that the rest of us have to deal with, and maybe that gives them a God complex.

Hollywood glamor was personified by Marilyn Monroe. The alluring actress was famous for generous, voluptuous curves and a sex kitten image.

Born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926, her name was later changed to Norma Jeane Baker. Her mother had psychological problems and was eventually committed to a mental institution. Norma Jeane spent the majority of her childhood in foster homes and orphanages. Her first marriage was in 1942, at the age of 16, to her neighbor, Jimmy Dougherty. Jimmy left for the Merchants Marines in 1944.

Left on her own, Norma Jeane took a job in a Radio Plane Munitions factory in Burbank, California.. During this time photographer David Conover discovered the photogenic girt and launched her modeling career. When her husband returned from the Merchant Marines in 1946, the couple was divorced.

Norma Jeane changed her name to Marilyn Monroe and started her acting career. Movie roles started with small parts and became more substantial. Film credits include: The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, Love Nest, Hometown Story, We;re Not Married, Clash By Night, The Asphalt Jungle, All About Eve, Let's Make it Legal, As Young As You Feel, Monkey Business, Don't Bother to Knock, Niagara, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire, Let's Make Love, The Seven Year Itch, River of No Return, There's No Business Like Show Business, Bus Stop, The Prince and the Showgirl, Some Like it Hot and the Misfits.

Marilyn Monroe married and divorced two more times, to baseball great Joe DiMaggio and to playwright Arthur Miller.

The Misfits was Monroe's last completed film. The movie was also the last film of famous movie actor Clark Gable. There were rumors that Clark Gable was disgusted with Monroe's behavior on the set. She had a reputation for being unreliable and late to sets.

Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her Brentwood bungalow on August 5, 1962, spurring four plus decades of murder and conspiracy theories. There were allegations of sexual affairs with President Kennedy and Senator Kennedy in the early 1960's

If she had lived the actress would have been 81 years old in 2007. It is hard to imagine what Marilyn Monroe would have been like if she had lived to old age. Would she eventually have had children and become a grandmother? She was 36 when she died, so the answer is probably not. If she had lived, she probably would have faded into obscurity, as her blond beauty turned gray, but we will never know.

Even after her death, Marilyn Monroe has received recognition including:

Empire Magazine as one of the "100 Sexiest stars in Film History" 1995
Empire (UK) Magazine "Sexiest Female Movie Star of all Time" 1995
Empire (UK) Magazine "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" 1997
Playboy Magazine "Number One Sex Star of the 20th Century" 1999
People Magazine "Sexiest Woman of the century" 1999
Premiere Magazine "2nd Greatest Movie Star of all Time.
Entertainment Weekly "4th Greatest Movie star of all Time"
American Film Institute's "50 Greatest Screen Legend"

She is frozen in our minds at the height of her beauty and sexuality. As an icon, Marilyn Monroe is a person of mythical proportions. In a way, Marilyn Monroe represents an era of unlimited optimism and opportunity. Hollywood was still glamorous and mysterious to the everyday man and woman.

The anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's death brings to mind the anniversary of two other icons, Elvis Presley and Lady Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales.

The 30th anniversary of Elvis' death is also in August this year.There is a lot of fanfare for Elvis, with fans making a pilgrimage to Graceland to hold a candlelight vigil, among other memorial observations.

Diana, the beloved princess of England, also known as "the Queen of Hearts" died in car accident in Paris ten years ago this month. The ten year anniversary of Princess Diana's death is marked by memorials in England planned by her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.

Elton John had written a song to Marilyn called "Good Bye Norma Jean". When Princess Diana died, he rewrote the lyrices to "Candle in the Wind" which he sang at Princess Diana's funeral.

I don't know of any particular memorials planned for the anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's death, although there may be some. The icon still burns brightly in the minds of fans who remain fascinated by the celebrity legend.