“I don’t mind living in a man’s world as long as I can be a woman in it.” –Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe, neé Norma Jeane Mortenson, was a beautiful American actress, comedian, singer and model, but there was more than meets the eye to her complex personality. Marilyn’s life and death are full of mystery— how did she die, and what is her backstory?

Monroe spent most of her time as a child in and out of foster care homes and orphanages. During this time, in some of those homes, she was sexually abused and grew very depressed. Her hair was naturally curly red, but she changed the color of her hair to blonde to get noticed since she was really into the modeling business. Her iconic look was her blonde platinum hair and her bright red lipstick. Her first film production was Dangerous Years in 1947, but her most famous movie was Some Like it Hot (1959) and her last film production was The Misfits in 1961. 

In the 50s, Marilyn Monroe became reliant on alcohol and drugs to deal with her depression. As the years went by, her addiction grew severely, causing her to feel more insecure about herself and her career. On August 4, 1962, at the age of 36, Monroe was found lying naked and dead on her bed, holding a phone and a bunch of pill bottles on her night stand. Authorities say Monroe purposely killed herself because she couldn’t take the abuse anymore, but after her death, Monroe’s body went missing for ten hours, even though the drive from Beverly Hills to the L.A. County Morgue is only an hour and a half, not ten. She could have  had an overdose or suicide attempt, or, as some theorize,  she may have been murdered for her now confirmed affair with President John F. Kennedy. Monroe’s love connection with JFK may not have been unrelated to her untimely death— it may have been the cause of it! Is it a coincidence that JFK also died (under mysterious circumstances) a year after Monroe died? Her life and death are the topic of the movie “Blonde” released in 2022 and available on Netflix, for anyone who wants more details about this continuing mystery.