Many images come to mind when the beautiful, “blonde bombshell” of an actress Marilyn Monroe is mentioned. Know as more than just a Hollywood sex symbol, Monroe, original name Norma Jeane Mortenson, blossomed throughout the 1950s to 1960s, sparking her to be one of Hollywood’s most marketable stars.

Despite living in foster homes and orphanages for the majority of her childhood, Monroe developed into one of the top-billed actresses of her era. Her success spiraled once she met with a photographer from the First Motion Picture Unit at the age of 16. After a series of minor film roles involving contracts with 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures, Monroe finally settled with Fox in the late 1950s. Acting in films such as As Young as You Feel and Monkey Business, and in the dramas Clash by Night and Don’t Bother to Knock, Monroe was turning into Hollywood’s hottest topic. 

Monroe was starting a flourishing career; there was no doubt about it.

However, fame is temporary… along with the lifespan of a person.

On August 6th, 1962, Los Angeles Times posted a heading that halted society in its tracks: “MARILYN MONROE DIES; PILLS BLAMED.”

In the early morning of the day before, Monroe, at the age of 36, was found dead of an apparent barbiturate overdose. Monroe, discovered at approximately 3:30 am, was “lying face down on her bed and clutching a telephone receiver with her hand,” reporters from the Los Angeles Times wrote. 

A report found that Monroe died from “an acute combined drug toxicity, chloral hydrate, and Nembutal.” According to People, various pill bottles were found aside from her bed.  

These are the facts that surround the case, though many still contemplate: Was it the drugs that killed her, or the suffocating fame? 

On August 4th, the day before her death, Monroe was at her home in Brentwood. She was accompanied by many people, though it was Eunice Murray, Monroe’s housekeeper, who stayed overnight to keep her company. 

Now, there are many stories as to why Monroe’s death occurred. Some say it was an accident, some say it was suicide, and some even state murder. 

These are all statements supposed by society, however, what are the facts that truly explain the case? 

Initially, the discovery of Marylin Monroe’s death appeared to be suicide. At the time, all doors and windows were locked in the bedroom, and there were multiple empty bottles of pills near her body. Not to mention, Monroe was fighting mental issues, meaning that this theory of suicide could in fact be a possibility. 

In contrast, Marilyn Monroe’s closest friends state that her death was not intentional. Pat Newcomb, a good friend of Monroe, says,“This must have been an accident . . . Marilyn was in perfect physical condition and was feeling great,” in an interview with The Los Angeles Times. 

Based on Newcomb’s assumptions, there was no way Monroe’s physical or mental state would have led her to commit suicide, for she was content with how she lived. 

However, her therapist, Dr. Greenson, disagrees. 

“She talked about being a waif, that she was ugly, that people were only nice to her for what they could get from her. She said

life wasn’t worth living anymore,” Dr. Greenson told Vanity Fair, the summer before her death. 

Who do we trust? The therapist, or her closest friends? 

Aside from the ongoing theories of suicide, what about murder? With the continuous scandals involving Monroe and the Kennedy brothers, many often wonder if that was the case. Both believed to be involved in Monroe’s love life, many think the brothers feared she would “reveal the affairs to the press,” therefore “wanting to keep her silent.”

Even after 60 years, Marilyn Monroe’s death remains a mystery. Throughout the evidence and theories promoted by the public, we are left with our own opinions. In reality, we truly will never know the truth. Maybe it was the mental issues that conflicted with her emotions, or perhaps it was the suffocating fame. A million assumptions, yet never an answer.