Marilyn Monroe: Dead At 36 (51 Years Later)

I was eight-years-old in third grade at the Hood School when Mrs. Equi's class went to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. I still remember my favorite part of the day: We were in one room when I saw a brightly colored painting with four faces on it. The docent asked if anyone knew the woman depicted in the painting. I shyly raised my hand and said, "Marilyn Monroe." I remember being surprised that I was the only student who knew who she was, but... this was 1985 and Marilyn had already been dead for 33 years.

So maybe not too surprising, now that Adult Me thinks about it.

According to newspaper reports in 1962, Marilyn Monroe was found in the bedroom of her Brentwood, California home in the early morning hours of August 5 by her housekeeper. One report said she slipped into a coma induced by sleeping pills around 10 p.m. the night before; she was found by 3 a.m. and declared dead by 4 or so.

Of course, back then, there was no Internet, so everyone relied on newspaper reports to tell the, everything - Marilyn found dead, nude, her hand on the phone, pill bottles by the dead. Now, it's 2013, 51 years later, and you can Google the death scene photos, as well as the morgue shots. Don't worry, they're not gruesome. It just looks like the poor girl is sleeping peacefully.

And I think many Marilyn fans, myself included, like to think that perhaps she did find some peace on August 5, 1962.

If you're interested in Marilyn's life, my favorite readings are:

Marilyn Monroe: The Biography by Donald Spoto 

Marilyn: The Passion and The Paradox by Lois Banner 

Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters by Marilyn Monroe

And if you like to just enjoy photos of Marilyn, join me on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/dmastersonbooks/marilyn-monroe/