Marilyn Monroe, a name synonymous with Hollywood glamour and timeless allure, left the world under mysterious circumstances on August 5, 1962. Officially, her death was ruled a probable suicide by overdose but over six decades later, the enigmatic final hours of the silver screen legend remain clouded in speculation. Revelations from law enforcement personnel as well as investigation into her ties to the Kennedy family have reignited a debate—was Monroe’s death truly an accident, or was it a meticulously staged cover-up?
In the 2016 documentary Marilyn Monroe Declassified , Sergeant Jack Clemmons, the first police officer to arrive at Monroe’s home, claimed he encountered the ‘most obviously staged death scene’ of his career. Clemmons said, “I do not hesitate at all to call this what it simply is. It is a murder. And I do not hesitate at all to go and say that a conspiracy existed between the police department, the coroner’s office, and between the LA Country District Attorney’s Office to conceal this murder and pass it off as a suicide.” Monroe’s body was reportedly found lying facedown in a ‘soldier’s position,’ an unnatural pose that raised immediate suspicions, as reported by Daily Star .
On this day August 7, 1962 Marilyn Monroe‘s body was left unclaimed at the morgue and she had no children, close family or anyone to claim her body until her Ex husband Joe DiMaggio stepped in. Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/lPS7AVUUna
— Keya Morgan (@KeyaMorgan) August 7, 2019
Clemmons’ controversial theory suggested Monroe was “murdered by needle injection by someone she knew and probably trusted.” Yet, the coroner on the case, Dr. Thomas Noguchi, found no needle marks on her body, concluding instead that her death was due to a barbiturate overdose . Yet, Noguchi’s findings have been called into question, with claims that key evidence, such as toxicology reports, was destroyed before further analysis.
61 years ago, marilyn monroe sang ‘happy birthday mr president’ to jfk pic.twitter.com/9RiaxRmZil
— Pop & Hot Culture (@notgwendalupe) May 21, 2023
Monroe’s connection with President John F. Kennedy and his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, has also fueled many conspiracy theories. According to the Netflix documentary The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes , Monroe allegedly had simultaneous affairs with both brothers. Reportedly, concerns arose that she might reveal sensitive political information discussed during their intimate moments, specifically regarding nuclear matters during the Cold War .
Surveillance expert Reed Wilson also claimed that she had a heated argument with Robert the night she died. Wilson shared, “Bobby Kennedy called her the night of her death from Lawford‘s house. And she said, ‘Don’t bother me. Leave me alone. Stay out of my life.’ It was a very violent argument. [She said] ‘I feel passed around, I feel used. I feel like a piece of meat.’”
Marilyn Monroe’s relationship with JFK — and The Kennedy family — is explored in The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes. Watch now. pic.twitter.com/9oGxW5vKaa
— Netflix (@netflix) May 3, 2022
Monroe’s housekeeper, Eunice Murray, alleged that Robert had visited her home hours before her death, engaging in a tense confrontation, as reported by The New York Post . Former FBI agent Jim Doyle claimed federal agents arrived at Monroe’s house before local authorities, potentially to sanitize evidence linking Robert to the actress.
Others, like author Anthony Summers, who wrote the 1985 book Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe and conducted over 650 interviews, unearthed tapes that suggested Monroe foresaw her fate, lamenting, “What the evidence suggests is that [the circumstances around her death were] covered up because of her connection with the Kennedy brothers.”