Marilyn Monroe’s entire life was shrouded in mystery,even to this very day, from the time of her birth to the night of her untimely death.  She was the It-Girl of Hollywood, starring in over 25 movies throughout her 16 year career in the film industry (Things She left Behind).  August 5, 1962 was the tragic date of the mysterious starlet’s death.  She was a sex symbol and the ideal woman of her time, but after she “took off” her sultry facade, her mental stability remained questionable.  Marilyn had been suffering from a severe case of depression that was caused by both heredity and her own personal stresses. Monroe dealt with her demons--drugs, alcohol and her addiction to men in ways uncharacteristic of the face she portrayed to the public.   “She was the most famous movie star in the world, and had succumbed to a prescription-drug overdose at the age of 36”, or so they thought.  Police ultimately ruled her death as a suicide by drug overdose, but some believe they overlooked evidence pointing to a fate more sinister: murder.  Traumatizing past experiences as well as Marilyn’s sad and difficult life overall may have led to her murder.

Marilyn Monroe was born on June 1, 1926 as Norma Jean Mortenson (Modern American).   Due to her mother's mental instability she lived in a foster home for the first seven years of her life (E-Library).  Sadly, that home to was unfit for a young child. Norma Jean went back to lie with her mother for a few years after that until she was diagnosed with depression and sent to live in a “rest home”.  After her mother was gone and her current living situation was no longer available, Norma Jean was shipped off to live with a family friend, Grace Mckee.  Grace was majorly instrumental in the process of Marilyn discovering her calling: acting.  As Jean Harlow was Grace’s idol, naturally it became the same for the young and impressionable girl.  Due to Grace’s financial issues, norma Jean was forced to live in an orphanage, where Grace visited and they spent time doing her makeup and buying her clothes.  She later was sent to live with some of Grace’s relatives.  By the age of sixteen, Norma Jean was forced into a marriage with Jim Dougherty because Grace was moving away and unable to take care of her financially.  Her unstable upbringing and “revolving door” of homes led to her serious depression and paranoia later in her life. Additionally, Norma jean’s lack of a normal, protected childhood, as well as a secure family life, helped to cause several unsuccessful marriages and her many adulterous affairs. The most scandalous, and fatal, being her affair with the John F. Kennedy.   

President John F. Kennedy requested many times to have a night with Marilyn who, at the time, was at the height of her fame (Daily Mail).  In February of 1962 (the year of her death) the President's sister and her husband, Peter Lawford, invited her out to a dinner being held in honor of the President (which was destined for future disaster as JFK notoriously had an attraction to young famous blondes).  When Marilyn flounced in at her usual fashionably late time, there was an immediate attraction between the two and this only intensified as the night went on.  At the end of the party, he asked for her number. Marilyn gracefully gave it to him in hopes of a relationship. However, little did she know that, that moment would lead to her premature death.  The day after the celebration he invited her to Palms Springs in March; Monroe again accepted his offer wholeheartedly.  Palm Springs is where the President and Marilyn’s fling hatched.  An attendant of the hotel was an eyewitness to the scandalous affair. “What we knew was that JFK and Marilyn had sex at Bing Crosby's, and that's it. We didn't think it was a big deal. He had sex with a lot of women. She was just one of many and it wasn't that noteworthy”. Little did they know that she quickly became obsessed with John as well as the idea of a future with him.
To keep persistent Marilyn at bay he made promises to her which, included marriage and a future together.  He had not anticipated the wrath she would bring when he didn't follow through with his plans.  After numerous calls to the White House and a confession about her affair to Jackie Kennedy didn’t work she took more drastic measures.  Marilyn told John .F. Kennedy that if he didn't marry her she would spill all of the secrets she collected about him.  She revealed that she had a diary hidden in her house that contained everything she had found out about him and his methods of work.  This sparked interest in not only him but the people who worked closely to him.  After weighing his options he decided that the only way to proceed was to either get the diary or shut up Marilyn for good.

She was murdered August 5, 1962 by President John .F. Kennedy.  According to conspiracy theorists as well as certain eye witness accounts the night of her death occurred as follows: Marilyn had (as mentioned above) called the White House numerous times in her efforts to capture the attention of the young driven President.  He sent his brother Bobby and brother in law Peter Lawford to attempt to keep her from fulfilling her frantic threats of ordering a press conference and releasing her collected information on their family.  Peter lazily sipped champagne by the pool while Bobby met Marilyn inside her house to discuss the turmoil.  A fight soon ensued involving a screaming and violent Marilyn being dismissed of her opinion and Peter  separating her and Bobby in an attempt to avoid an even more complicated mess.  Later that night the Los Angeles Police Department  (who was known for their illegal handling of things during the time period)  lead by an aggravated Bobby Kennedy barged into the actresses house in hopes of finding the diary.  Marilyn was shot in the armpit with a substance known as Pentobarbital to sedate/ calm her down.  The disreputable police force desperately searched the house for the diary Marilyn kept.  After they were unable to find the book, they gave her the fatal dose of sedatives that ultimately killed the seemingly invincible Marilyn Monroe. 

When maid Eunice Murray discovered Monroe nude on her bed with a telephone in hand and unresponsive is when the moral set of detectives were called. She was found surrounded by empty drug containers as well as fatal amounts of sedatives in her system. The thoroughly investigated mystery had many holes and unanswered questions left in it when her death was deemed a suicide. Today’s technologies would definitely have provided a helpful hand in showing the world how Marilyn actually died. Had President Kennedy’s force of dedicated henchman not have been so devoted in covering up their game of a fatal scavenger hunt, the truth may have surfaced.