The Life and Death of Marilyn Monroe

Few actors have received fame and adulation as much as Marilyn Monroe has. Marilyn was found dead on August 5, 1962 in her Brentwood, California home by her housekeeper Eunice Murray. It stunned the world. There have been many theories and speculations regarding the cause of her death. They range from accidental death to suicide and murder.

A mini- biography written by Rachel Bell ruled out suicide. According to Bell, she could have died of an accidental overdose of barbiturate. Marilyn was addicted to barbiturates. According to Bell, Dr Ralph Greenson, Marilyn's psychiatrist had been trying to wean his famous patient off the habit. Instead of barbiturates, he might have administered sedative enema to help her sleep. Bell now uses the biography written by Donald Spoto to further her explanation. Dr. Hyman Engelberg, Marilyn's internist, had prescribed on the previous day barbiturate Nembutal. Marilyn could have had enough barbiturate, which combined with the sedative enema became a fatal overdose. The communication failure on the part of Hyman could be attributed to the fact that he was experiencing severe marital stress. Dr.Greenson apparently realized the mistake and encouraged the suicide theory in a bid to cover-up a medical lapse.

The official cause of her death is "acute barbiturate poisoning". Dr. Thomas Noguchi of the Los Angeles County Coroners Office could not list it as suicide for want of evidence. It was listed as "probably suicide". Suicide is the official cause for Marilyn's death. and the more popular of theories; after all, she had attempted suicide four times earlier. Her mood swings were well known. Nevertheless, it is hard to believe that she could have administered the enema herself. Anyway, there was no reason for her to take her life for at that point of time she was happy. She had been looking forward to working in movies and her remarriage to Joe Di Maggio.

Some people suspect that Marilyn Monroe's death had to do with President Kennedy's affair with her. They have this conspiracy story to tell. The President was known for his extramarital affairs could not resist the sexy and stunningly beautiful actor. Marilyn, on her part nurtured dreams of being a First Lady. Soon her phone calls and letters to the President became embarrassing. He wanted to put an end to the relationship. Therefore, he entrusted his brother Robert the job of conveying the same to her. An enraged Marilyn could have black mailed Kennedy with dire threats to expose the President's extra-marital adventures.

The President could have indiscreetly discussed national security matters with her too. Robert Kennedy's visit to Marilyn's home with the rejection message, on the night of August 4, could have driven the actor to suicide. She had communist leanings and therefore a security threat, according to recently publicized FBI files . A cop on duty near Monroe's home had apparently seen Robert Kennedy there. An investigation by LA District Attorney's office in 1982 however trashed any deliberate criminal act. There may have been attempts to cover-up the affair by destroying phone records and letters.

Marilyn Monroe's death will continue to confound. The actual events that led to her premature death will never be known for sure.