Chloe Rowland
A new Netflix documentary exploring one of the most iconic figures of the 50s has cast doubt over the widely-accepted story surrounding her death.
For the last six decades, as much as Marilyn Monroe is known for her so-called 'blonde bombshell' portrayals in movies such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Some Like It Hot , she is perhaps equally as known for her untimely death at just 36.
At 3:30am on 5 August 1962, the movie star was found dead in her bed at her Brentwood home by her psychiatrist, Dr. Ralph Greenson. An empty bottle of sleeping pills sat next to her on her nightstand.
Advert
Dr. Greenson broke into Monroe's bedroom after the star's housekeeper had grown concerned, having awoken in the night to discover Monroe's door locked and light still on.
The star's physician, Hyman Engelberg, was believed to have then arrived at the residence, pronouncing the actor and model dead at the scene, before the Los Angeles Police Department was called.
Although, it seems this might not entirely be the case, according to claims made in Netflix's The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes.
The documentary, which features a mix of archival footage and unseen interviews with those that knew Monroe, examines the mystery surrounding the icon's death and the circumstances of that night.
According to Walter Schaefer, who owned the ambulance company that was going to take Monroe to hospital, the star was actually alive when driver Ken Hunter arrived.
Journalist John Sherlock supported Schaefer's account, claiming Dr. Greenson had in fact said Monroe was alive and that she died while on the way to Saint John’s Health Centre in Santa Monica.
“She died in the ambulance,” he said.
“Then they took her back to the house. [Greenson] told me he was in the ambulance.”
Ultimately, though, it was still concluded the star died from a barbiturate overdose.
Although, questions still linger for conspiracy theorists who believe the star was murdered due to her political ties.
In 1982, 20 years after her death, the Los Angeles D.A even launched an inquiry off the back of fresh speculation that Monroe was murdered.
"Based on the evidence available to us, it appears that her death could have been suicide or come as a result of an accidental drug overdose," then-District Attorney John Van de Kamp said at a press conference at the time.
"Permit me to express a faint hope that Marilyn Monroe be permitted to rest in peace."
The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes is available to stream on Netflix now.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]