Doctor who ruled controversial cause of death for Marilyn Monroe responds to conspiracies alleging foul play
The doctor who carried out Marilyn Monroe's autopsy has spoken out on her death over 60 years later.
Monroe tragically died at the age of 36 and her death was ruled as a suicide. She suffered with poor mental health in the lead up to her passing and penned a tear-jerking letter to her psychiatrist shortly before taking her own life.
Followng her death, Dr. Thomas Noguchi was tasked with determining her cause of death and carried out an autopsy on the Some Like It Hot actress.
Noguchi studied at Nippon Medical School in Japan and later trained at Orange County General Hospital in California.
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It was in 1961 that Noguchi started working at Los Angeles County’s medical examiner’s office. Just a year later, Monroe was found dead in her Brentwood home.
Discussing her case, Noguchi, now aged 99, told Variety: "It was a challenging assignment.
"We conducted not only a coroner’s investigation but requested to have a panel of experts on suicide prevention and suicide determination, and that way [there was] a more scientific determination."
The autopsy found that Monroe had high levels of barbiturates in the lining of her stomach. That coupled with her history of mental health issues led Noguchi to label the Hollywood icon's death was a 'probable suicide'.
Variety actually reported on Monroe's death when it happened. Part of the outlet's August 6, 1962, article read: "Marilyn Monroe, who often tried without success to shut herself off from the world, early yesterday did so. The 36-year-old actress was found dead in bed in her Brentwood home, apparently the victim of an overdose of sleeping pills.
"A telephone receiver dangled from her lifeless hand, and near the bed police said they picked up an empty bottle that had contained about 50 nembutal capsules a few days ago."
While it's been over 60 years since Monroe died, there are still conspiracy theories about how she died – one being that she was murdered.
One person who believes there was foul play involved is Norman Mailer, who penned 'Marilyn: A Biography'. In the book, Mailer suggested that the actress was killed to conceal her rumored romance with Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes, a 2022 Netflix documentary, echeod similar sentiments. In the program, journalist Anthony Summers alleged that RFK got into an explosive break-up argument with Monroe hours before her death. Supposedly the late senator was one of the last people to see her alive.
Addressing these theories, Noguchi said he stands by his ruling of a 'probably suicide'.
"Well-known cases attract rumors and exaggerated stories regarding the investigation, and people tend to believe what they hear," he said.
"It’s my job to conduct an investigation and an autopsy, and to come to a scientific determination of the cause of death rather than speculation."
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
Topics: Mental Health, Celebrity, Los Angeles, Conspiracy Theories
Niamh Shackleton