Marilyn Monroe Conspiracy Theories by Lori Ann

Introduction

Will we ever really know the actual cause of death of the iconic Marilyn Monroe?  She was in the prime of her life and considered to be one of the most sought after Hollywood actresses of her time (“Marilyn Monroe Biography”).  There are many theories as to how she may have died, but what was the true cause of her death?

• ·         Murder (Kennedys, Mafia, FBI)
• ·         Suicide

Marilyn was well-known, well-connected, loved, and admired (“Marylyn Monroe Biography”).  She was a starlet living the all-American dream of fame and fortune. Although she had risen to fame, she had a very troubled past that had led her to dabble into alcohol and drug use (1).   Let’s take a closer look at the facts to unveil the truth about the actual cause of Marilyn’s death.

Character Analysis

Marilyn Monroe was a famous actress and model.  She was born June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles, California, as Norma Jean Mortensen (Stephan and Jackson).  She had been placed into the foster care system at a very young age (1).  In order to escape from having to be placed into an orphanage, at the age of 16, Marilyn married her neighbor, James Dougherty, in 1942 (Henriksen).

Before Marilyn had risen to superstardom, she worked as a parachute inspector at the Radioplane Company in 1944-1945 (Henriksen).  While working there, she was discovered by army photographers (1).  “She was sensual and at ease before the camera, and her direct sexuality--mingled with her beauty, her innocence, and her now lightened blonde hair--accounted for her popularity with photographers and filmmakers” (1).  She was a natural!  Due to her husband’s disapproval of her modeling and acting career, they divorced in 1946 (Stephan and Jackson).

Marilyn was a rising star.  “At age twenty Monroe had her first screen test, signed a contract with 20th Century-Fox, and adopted her stage name of Marilyn Monroe (she legally changed her name in 1956)” (Henriksen).  She quickly became one of the most popular, sought after actresses in Hollywood (1).  Although very ambitious and driven, Marilyn was known to be very shy (Stephan and Jackson). 

Marilyn was a very popular actress, who was in demand, but she was not very easy to work with (Stephan and Jackson).  She was always extremely late to work (1).  She was also very insecure about her acting skills, and she suffered from performance anxiety, which was debilitating (Brinkman).  Marilyn would take hours to get herself mentally ready to work on set, and the whole cast and crew would have to wait for her in order to start filming (1).  Marilyn once said, "I knew I belonged to the public and to the world, not because I was talented or even beautiful, but because I had never belonged to anything or anyone else" (1). 

Marilyn was a sex symbol, and she was known around the world.  She was portrayed as a “blonde bombshell” with no intelligence (Stephan and Jackson).  She did not approve of this image (1).  Marilyn once said, “Arthur Miller, playwright, wouldn’t have married me if I had been nothing but a dumb blonde” (1).  Marilyn was eager to overcome this stereotype, and prove that she had real talent (1).   Luckily, for Marilyn, this image did not harm her career at all, but rather shot her into superstardom.

            

It stunned the world when the iconic Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her Los Angeles, California, home on Sunday, August 5, 1962.  She was found in her bedroom by her housekeeper (“Marilyn Monroe Dead, Pills Near”). “Beside the bed was an empty bottle that had contained prescribed sleeping pills” (1).  Marilyn had been under the care of a psychoanalyst who had prescribed the sleeping pills (1).  Fourteen other bottles of medicines and tablets were on the night stand (1).  There was not a suicide note found, and the coroner would not rule Marilyn’s death as a suicide until a toxicology report had been performed, but he did suspect that Marilyn’s death had been attributed to a drug (1). 

It was believed that the legendary Marilyn Monroe died sometime between 9:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., several hours prior to being found on August 5, 1962 (“Marilyn Monroe Dead, Pills Near”).  She had been dropped from the unfinished “Something's Got to Give” (1962) due to chronic lateness and drug dependency (Stephan and Jackson).  Her doctor, Dr. Ralph Greenson, stated he believed it possible Marilyn felt rejected by people close to her (“Marilyn Monroe Dead, Pills Near”).  These events, as well as other issues, are believed to be the cause of Marilyn’s impaired mental state which may have led to her untimely death.  Marilyn had several phone conversations with friends prior to being found dead, one of whom said that her speech was slurred (1).  Another friend, who had spoken with Marilyn before she died, said that she sounded fine (1). 

The world stood still, in disbelief, this tragic day on August 5, 1962, a day that an American legend was taken from the world too soon.  Will there ever be peace about her death in the hearts and minds of the people who loved Marilyn Monroe, who admired her, and who knew her personally.  May her light, her influence, and her beautiful face never be forgotten.        

Conspiracy theories

            There are many conspiracy theories surrounding Marilyn Monroe’s untimely death.  We will walk through two of the main theories, which are:

·         Murder (Kennedys, Mafia, FBI)

·         Suicide

Who would want to murder Marilyn Monroe, and why?  We will take a look at the

theories involving murder and why these theories may have surfaced.  What would be the motive for murdering Marilyn, and how would the Kennedy family, the FBI, or the mafia benefit from murdering her? 

First of all, it was rumored that Marilyn had an affair with both President John F. Kennedy, as well as his brother, Robert Kennedy.  There have been many extramarital affairs involving former President John F. Kennedy, and none of them have proved to result in murder (Stewart).  The extramarital affairs were a “norm” for President Kennedy (1).  He would remark to anyone who would listen, “If I don’t have sex every day, I get a headache,” from British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan to a lowly senatorial aide (1).  Marilyn’s biographer, Donald Spoto, stated that, “she only had a brief fling with President Kennedy” (Henriksen).  Marilyn and President Kennedy met in February of 1962 (Stewart).  They spent a weekend together in Palm Springs, and this was the extent of their affair (1).  Do you think this encounter with President Kennedy could be grounds for murder?  There has been no evidence to prove this theory.

Secondly, it was rumored that Marilyn and Robert Kennedy had a romantic relationship as well.  For many years, this romantic relationship was simply speculation.  Donald Spoto stated that the relationship was strictly platonic (Henriksen).  Despite his belief, the relationship was indeed a romantic one (Allen).  It was proven in the form of a personal letter written from Jean Kennedy Smith, John and Robert’s younger sister, to Marilyn (1).  In the letter, Jean wrote, “Understand that you and Bobby are the new item! We all think you should come with him when he comes back East" (1). 

The letter to Monroe from Jean Kennedy Smith … was found among a batch of her papers. They were left by Marilyn to Lee Strasberg, the famed acting coach who became a father figure to her.  His son, David Strasberg, discovered them stuffed in suitcases and cupboards during a clean-out. (1)

Despite this newfound evidence of a romantic relationship between Marilyn and Robert Kennedy, there is no motive and no evidence that he had her killed (1).   

Thirdly, there arose a theory that the FBI had Marilyn murdered.  Why would the FBI want to murder this beautiful American icon?  It was believed that they were watching her every move because they believed that she had ties with an American Communist Group in Mexico. It was also believed that she was giving money to support the group (“New Data Show How Closely FBI Monitored Marilyn Monroe”).   Marilyn had a hatred for red-biting, which is to harass or persecute someone on account of known or suspected communist sympathies (1).  She also had a hatred for McCarthyism, which is the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence (1).  Marilyn’s vocal political stance resulted in an FBI investigation (1).  The FBI investigation, “focused on her travels and associations, searching for signs of leftist views, and possible ties to communism” (1).  Marilyn had strongly supported black equality and the civil rights movement (1).  Despite the thorough investigation of Marilyn Monroe, starting from 1955 until the months before her death, the FBI never found any evidence that she was involved with the communist party (1).  There is no evidence to support the theory that the FBI had Marilyn killed.

There has also been speculation that the Mafia murdered Marilyn.  It was believed that Marilyn was going to leak out pertinent information that she acquired from both John F. and Robert Kennedy, and that the Mafia was hired to kill her (Washington).  It was also believed that the Mafia was going to kill Marilyn Monroe in an effort to damage the reputation of the Kennedys, particularly, John and Robert (1).  According to the FBI, here has been no solid evidence to support either of these claims (1). 

            Finally, it is most probable that the beautiful bombshell, Marilyn Monroe, simply committed suicide.  Marilyn was distraught over many negative things going on in her life at this time (Stephan and Jackson).  It was said that she had become a virtual “recluse” (Marilyn Monroe Dead; Pills Near).  According to Marilyn’s closest friends, who visited with her several hours before she died, she was out of sorts and unkempt, in need of a manicure and pedicure (“From the Archives: Marilyn Monroe Dies; Pills Blamed”).  She had been fired from the film that she was working on, “Something’s Got to Give” (Stephan and Jackson).  She was taking prescription sleeping pills to help her sleep (“Marilyn Monroe Dead; Pills Near”).  She had also called and talked to her psychoanalyst the night before being found dead, and he advised her to simply go out for a drive and relax (1). 

Marilyn was found dead in her home in Los Angeles, California, in the early morning hours of August 5, 1962 (“A History of Suicide”).  She was found naked, face down on her bed, with a telephone in her hand (1).  There were also many pill bottles found on her nightstand (1).  Marilyn had suffered from depression, and she had a history of unsuccessful suicide attempts (1).  She had tried to commit suicide four times in the past (1).  It seems that this was her final attempt at suicide, an attempt that she did not recover from.

             Marilyn would journal her thoughts and feelings (“A History of Suicide Attempts”).  Marilyn’s writings, reviewed by experts regarding suicide, depicted “hints and strong messages that she was preparing to die long before she did” (1).  A collection of Marilyn’s writings has been published, and it shows that her intent to kill herself is very blatant (1).  Also, in addition to this, a poll performed at College of the Mainland, in Texas City, Texas, showed that fifty-six percent of the people surveyed believe that Marilyn Monroe committed suicide. 

Conclusion

Marilyn Monroe, beloved superstar and American icon, was found dead in her Los Angeles, California, home in the early morning hours on August 5, 1962 (“Marilyn Monroe Dead; Pills Near”).  Many conspiracies have developed involving the cause of her untimely death, which include:

·         Murder (Kennedys, FBI, Mafia)

·         Suicide

It has been fifty-five years since this blond bombshell died, and there is still division amongst the people about how she died.  When considering the investigation involving Marilyn’s death, the coroner’s findings, and Marilyn’s personal writings and past behaviors, including depression and multiple past suicide attempts, the most likely cause of her premature death would be suicide by a drug overdose.  

                                                      Works Cited

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            fbi-monitored-marilyn-monroe/.

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            nypost.com/2013/11/10/all-the-presidents-women-3/.

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