What The Last Few Months Of Marilyn Monroe's Life Were Like
On August 3, 1962, Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her home in Los Angeles. The legendary actress was lying on her bed, face down, and holding a telephone. In the room, police found multiple bottles of depression pills. According to History, the police said the death was "caused by a self-administered overdose of sedative drugs and that the mode of death is probable suicide." Monroe was 36 years old.
Her death shocked the country and has become the source of conspiracy theories. Despite the police reports, many people believed Monroe's death had something to do with her alleged affairs with John F. Kennedy and his brother, Robert F. Kennedy. According to Independent, Frank Sinatra thought she was murdered, and he never got over her death.
Nearly 60 years after her death, Monroe is still one of the most fascinating Hollywood stars, and not only for movies such as "Some Like It Hot" and "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." Monroe's personal life was intense and tumultuous, which also captivated the public. Many people are still looking for answers about her death by examining her last months.
"In the last few months of her life, Marilyn was sincerely loved, callously betrayed, cynically filled with hope and ultimately cruelly abandoned," said BBC Studios' Executive Producer Anne Pivcevic (via Vogue).
Monroe was committed to a psychiatric ward
In February 1961, three months after divorcing her third husband, Henry Miller, she was committed to Payne Whitney's psychiatric ward, where she stayed during four days. According to Vanity Fair, the actress believed it would be a prescribed rest cure, but she was wrong. The more she begged to be released, the more the doctors claimed she was psychotic. The staff threatened Monroe with a straitjacket, and she was forced to use a hospital gown and was not allowed to make phone calls. The actress was released after her ex-husband, Joe DiMaggio, helped her.
In March, Monroe wrote a six-page letter to her doctor. "There was no empathy at Payne-Whitney — it had a very bad effect — they asked me after putting me in a 'cell' (I mean cement blocks and all) for very disturbed depressed patients (except I felt I was in some kind of prison for a crime I hadn't committed. The inhumanity there I found archaic ... everything was under lock and key ... the doors have windows so patients can be visible all the time, also, the violence and markings still remain on the walls from former patients)" (via Vanity Fair).
Monroe also wrote that she used her acting skills to try to escape. The actress said that she threatened to harm herself with glass, but she was not serious. "I'm an actress and would never intentionally mark or mar myself; I'm just that vain," Monroe wrote.
Monroe was fired from her last movie
On May 19, 1962, Marilyn Monroe flew to New York to celebrate President John F. Kennedy's birthday, where she sang a remarkable version of "Happy Birthday." She attended the event wearing a sheer, glittering dress, which became as famous as her performance. Her appearance in the event has divided public opinions; while some were scandalized, others were thrilled. It also triggered rumors that Monroe and Kennedy were having an affair.
The performance also caused a stir on the set of the film she was working on at the time, "Something's Got to Give." Although Monroe received permission to attend the event, she claimed she was too sick during the week and didn't show up at work. The director, George Cukor, was having a hard time with the actress. According to Independent, Monroe was frequently late or absent and struggled to remember her lines. The actress wasn't proud of her behavior. In the movie's raw footage, she seems embarrassed and nervous every time she makes a mistake.
Monroe was fired in June, a few days after her 36th birthday, and sued by Fox for $750,000 for contract violation. A few days later, Monroe wrote a telegram to Cukor, where she tries to apologize. "Dear George please believe me it was not my doing I had so looked forward to working with you warmly=Marilyn" (via Julien's Auction).
"Something's Got to Give" was never finished. Monroe died two months after she was fired.