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Netflix has released a new Marilyn Monroe documentary in the lead up to the 60th anniversary of her death in August. Titled The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes, it tries to "offer... a new perspective on that fateful night," according to a Netflix plot summary.
The Marilyn Monroe documentary also aims to debunk some of the conspiracy theories that have cropped up around her death. This includes the long-held belief of some that she was killed by the Kennedys to cover up possible romantic relationships with John and Robert—or, as the documentary briefly posits, because she knew too many nuclear secrets.
The truth of how Marilyn Monroe died, like many stories that generate conspiracy theories, is more banal and more tragic than the stories that later emerged. The truth of the matter is that Monroe was an unhappy woman who took her own life at the age of 36.
How Did Marilyn Monroe Die?
On Sunday, August 5, 1962, at around 3 a.m., Monroe's housekeeper Eunice Murray went to check on the actor in the bedroom of her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles. Murray, who had been asked by Monroe's psychiatrist to stay over at the star's home, found the door locked, and Monroe unresponsive despite the light being on. She alerted the psychiatrist, who broke the window and found the star dead, lying naked on her bed with the phone in her hand, and with empty prescription pill bottles littered around the room.
The police investigated, and found no foul play. In the subsequent report, it said that the death was "caused by a self-administered overdose of sedative drugs and that the mode of death is probable suicide." An accidental overdose was ruled out due to the amount of pills in her system—pills for which she had had her prescription filled the previous day.
In the lead-up to her death, Monroe had been battling with depression, insomnia and various other mental health problems, as well as addictions to amphetamines, barbiturates and alcohol. She was also becoming more and more of a recluse, particularly after she was fired from her final film Something's Got to Give in June 1962.
Monroe had spent the day of her death in her house, where she received numerous visitors. Her massage therapist had paid her a visit, as had her psychiatrist and photographer with whom she was discussing a series of nude photos she had shot for Playboy. She also made and received numerous phone calls, including to her ex-lover's son Joe DiMaggio Jr. (who later said he noticed nothing strange about her behavior) and to the actor Peter Lawford (who did notice that Monroe seemed to be on drugs).
As far as we know, Monroe's final words were those she said on the telephone to Lawford: "Say goodbye to Pat [Lawford's wife], say goodbye to the president [Lawford's brother-in-law], and say goodbye to yourself, because you're a nice guy." She took the call shortly after going to her bedroom at 8 p.m., and her autopsy estimated her death at between 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
The coroner's report following her death gives an insight into her mental state at the time of the attempt: "Miss Monroe had suffered from psychiatric disturbance for a long time...Mood changes were abrupt and unpredictable. Among symptoms of disorganization, sleep disturbance was prominent, for which she had been taking sedative drugs for many years."
The report continued: "Miss Monroe had often expressed wishes to give up, to withdraw, and even to die. On more than one occasion in the past, she had made a suicide attempt, using sedative drugs. On these occasions, she had called for help and had been rescued. It is our opinion that the same pattern was repeated on the evening of Aug. 4 except for the rescue."
The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes is streaming now on Netflix.
If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.
