The world was left grieving when news broke of Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe ’s death on August 4, 1962.
The blonde bombshell had been found dead at her home and it appeared she had taken her own life.
Marilyn was just 36 when she tragically died and almost immediately conspiracy theories started that instead of committing suicide she had actually been murdered.
The Gentlemen Prefer Blondes icon’s life had been dogged with rumours about her relationships and mental health to her rumoured addictions to alcohol and pills.
Although, she had been facing a raft of problems. Her final two films, The Misfits and Let’s Make Love had been both critical and commercial failures.
Her final movie, Something’s Got To Give, saw her fired after she took time off set, claiming she was ill.
The year before her death, Marilyn was also divorced from the acclaimed writer, Arthur Miller, which was said to have left her heartbroken.
And Marilyn’s personal life was also regular fodder for the gossip pages, with rumours of affairs with both the US President John F Kennedy and his brother, Robert.
But in the months leading up to her sad passing, Marilyn seemed to be turning things around.
She was back in touch with the studios about returned to the silver screen.
The day of her death included meetings with people about her future and Marilyn had been chatting happily to pals on the phone.
However, there were some disturbing signs in the hours before her tragic passing.
Her psychiatrist, Ralph Greenson, had paid her a visit and was so concerned about her mental health, he asked her housekeeper to make sure she stayed overnight.
The final person to come forward to say he had spoken to Marilyn was her fellow actor, Peter Lawson, who had telephoned to her to try to persuade her to come to a party.
He suspected she had taken drugs and her eerie final words to him were “say goodbye to Pat, say goodbye to the president (Lawson’s brother-in-law) and say goodbye to yourself because you’re a nice guy”.
Marilyn then seemed to drift off to sleep.
Worried, Lawson tried to contact Dr Greenson, and when he couldn’t reach him, called Marilyn’s lawyer, Milton Rudin.
Rudin managed to reach the star’s housekeeper, Eunice, who assured him Marilyn was fine.
Just a few hours later, at 3:30am, though Eunice herself became concerned about her boss and went to check on her.
Marilyn’s bedroom door was locked but the housekeeper could see a light shining under the door.
Now absolute terrified for the actor’s safety, she called Dr Greenson, and was told to go outside and look in through the window.
There, Eunice was greeted with the horrifying site of Marilyn lying face down and naked on her bed.
Dr Greenson rushed to the home and broke a window to get into the star’s room - but there was nothing he could do. Marilyn Monroe was dead.
It was just three months after her now iconic rendition of Happy Birthday to JFK and not long after a chilling conversation with a close friend, Jeanne Carmen, about suicide.
It has been claimed that Marilyn told the actress if she were to take her own life, she “would dress in a white nightgown, take an overdose of pills and go to bed.
“The sheets would be spread and would be white and she would have her hair and make-up done.
“A friend would be informed of the suicide to make sure after her death she was neatly positioned and the bedroom was in order.”
When Marilyn was found in the early hours of that fateful morning, she was naked, her hair was a mess and she was wearing no make-up.
Dr Greenson has also claimed when he found her body she was holding a phone, which was “clutched fiercely in her right hand”.
Los Angeles chief of detectives, Thad Brown, also reportedly said the bed contained a crumpled piece of paper among the sheets - on it was a number for the White House.
His aide said: “It was determined that she had called John Kennedy just before she died.”
However, the president wasn’t in the White House at the time of Marilyn’s death and was on a trip to Cape Cod.
The star’s funeral was organised by her ex-husband Joe DiMaggio, who invited only 30 of her closest friends and snubbed the Hollywood elite.
Marilyn’s body was interred in the Corridor of Memories and DiMaggio organised for a bouquet of red roses to be placed outside her final resting place, three times a week, for the next 20 years.
In the US, if you or someone you know needs help, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
In the UK, the Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or head to the website to find your nearest branch. You matter.
