Could UFOs be involved in the tragic death of Marilyn Monroe?
Or was she silenced for political reasons?
Keep watching to learn all the major theories surrounding the passing of one of Hollywood's
most iconic blondes.
On August 5, 1962, Marilyn Monroe's body was discovered inside of her Los Angeles home.
Reportedly, she was found lying naked and face down on her bed, surrounded by empty
prescription pill bottles.
After her autopsy and a brief investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department, officials
concluded that the iconic blonde's passing was a result of suicide via an overdose of
sedatives.
She was just 36 years old at the time of her death.
The recent Netflix documentary, The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes, covers
journalist Anthony Summers's extensive research on Monroe and her death, much of which also
disproves many common perceptions of the details surrounding the star's passing.
"The coroner ruled the cause of death an overdose of drugs."
"It is our opinion, probable suicide."
The timeline of Monroe's death is also heavily disputed.
After Monroe was declared dead, phone records revealed outgoing calls from her home.
According to The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe, there are also conflicting reports regarding
Monroe's emergency medical care.
Some claim Monroe was found dead in her bed, while others claim she died in an ambulance
and her body was returned to her house thereafter.
The most widely accepted explanation regarding the discovery of Monroe's body is that her
housekeeper found her in the early hours of the morning.
However, Summers revealed in the documentary that Arthur Jacobs, Monroe's publicist, was
alerted of an emergency hours before.
According to Jacobs' widow, he arrived at Monroe's house around four hours prior to
when Monroe's maid found her.
A half-century's worth of doubt
Despite the medical examiners' reported findings, some remain skeptical of the results.
One of the autopsy practitioners, Dr. Thomas T. Noguchi, reports that samples from her
stomach and intestines were destroyed and never even tested for any drugs.
Those close to Monroe remained skeptical that her death was a suicide.
Closer Weekly reports that some friends and family claim she had plans to meet with producers
the day after her death.
Biographer Donald Spoto even claimed that Monroe had planned to remarry her ex-husband,
Joe DiMaggio, just days after her passing.
Others felt that the overdose was more likely accidental, and that Monroe was constantly
being provided drugs by different parties without consideration for the cumulative dosage.
Alternatively, Spoto proposed that the overdose may have been a malicious act, caused by a
lethal enema concoction deliberately prescribed by Monroe's psychiatrist.
The Los Angeles Times expanded on this theory, stating the psychiatrist was worried Monroe
would soon fire them.
With no shortage of shocking theories regarding the death of Marilyn Monroe, Cosmopolitan
reported that one bizarre claim stated that the Some Like It Hot star was murdered by
the CIA.
This allegation stated that the federal government agency ordered the star's death as an act
of revenge on the Kennedys for the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba.
According to Matthew Smith's book, Victim: The Secret Tapes of Marilyn Monroe, audio
recordings between Monroe and her psychiatrist supposedly revealed that the CIA knew that
Monroe was having an affair with Robert Kennedy.
The agency apparently believed her death would hurt the Kennedy family.
If that isn't wild enough, Cosmopolitan added that this theory gained traction in 2015,
when the fake news website World News Daily Report posted an article claiming that a retired
CIA officer confessed on his deathbed that he had murdered Monroe.
The supposed murderer, 78-year-old retiree Normand Hodge, allegedly performed dozens
of other assassinations for the American government between 1959 and 1972, including Monroe's.
Unfortunately for those still looking for answers, the report was a complete hoax.
While there are plenty of surprising theories regarding Marilyn Monroe's death, more than
a few claims involve members of the Kennedy family.
Cosmopolitan alone has offered up more than one theory involving Robert F. Kennedy.
According to the first allegation, RFK supposedly had the iconic star killed out of fear that
she'd reveal their rumored affair to the world, ruining his career.
Frank A. Capell was the first person to put forth this theory in his 1962 book, The Strange
Death of Marilyn Monroe.
Just two years after the book came out, rock journalist Anthony Scaduto wrote an article
making a similar claim, stating that RFK had Monroe killed for knowing too much insider
information.
However, Cosmo notes that very few sources were used to support these claims.
In Anthony Summers' book, Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe, he claimed that RFK
and his brother-in-law Peter Lawford pushed Monroe to do drugs and drink after she threatened
to go public about the alleged affair.
According to Summers' theory, the star then had an accidental overdose and died on her
way to the hospital.
Summers alleged that RFK and Lawford then staged her death to look like a suicide.
The journalist added that then-FBI director J. Edgar Hoover also assisted with the cover-up.
Summers' claims were also supported by Monroe's housekeeper, Eunice Murray, whom Summers interviewed
in 1983.
While some theories have some historical merit to back them up, some of the other possible
explanations for Monroe's death are truly bizarre.
For example, a 1992 article about the book Double Cross claimed that Monroe was murdered
by Mafia hitmen who administered a deadly barbiturate suppository to the star.
The writer proposed that the Mafia did this to intimidate then-Attorney General Robert
Kennedy, and force him to stop harassing organized crime families.
If that theory isn't wild enough, Cosmopolitan reported that in 1982, private detective Milo
Speriglio presented another theory involving the mob in his 1982 book, Marilyn Monroe:
Murder Cover-Up.
Speriglio suggested that Monroe was killed by Jimmy Hoffa and the Chicago mob boss Sam
Giancana in order to get the Kennedy family to leave them alone.
"Mr. Hoffa, did you say, 'That SOB.
I'll break his back.'"
"Figure of speech.
I don't know who I was talking about.
I don't know what you're talking about."
In addition to these other claims, Cosmopolitan reiterated an even more far-fetched theory
that Monroe was murdered for knowing about the existence of aliens.
According to the magazine, a 2017 documentary titled Unacknowledged alleged that the star
had been planning to reveal top-secret info regarding the Roswell crash in 1947 and other
highly guarded information.
In the film, conspiracy theorist Dr. Steven Greer claimed that Monroe learned about aliens
during her rumored affair with JFK.
Greer also goes into detail about Monroe's plans to go public with the knowledge, and
states that the CIA ordered her death in order to stop her.
Despite Monroe's widespread adoration, it seems that a surprising number of people saw
the starlet as a security threat.
With theories regarding UFOs, the CIA, and the Mafia being linked to Marilyn Monroe's
tragic death, the speculation that the star didn't die in Los Angeles is hardly the wildest
of its kind.
According to CBS News, some of the more avidly curious researchers of the tragedy believe
that the actress passed away at the Cal Neva Resort at Lake Tahoe.
Similarly, many theorists do not believe that the official story regarding her death is
true.
Author Jay Margolis told the outlet that he is absolutely sure there was an elaborate
cover-up performed to hide the truth about Monroe's death.
The theory that Monroe died at Lake Tahoe originated from Monroe's hairdresser, George
Masters, and audio tapes he made in 1988.
In these recordings, Masters alleged that on August 4, 1962, the actress wasn't in Southern
California, but instead at the Cal Neva Resort.
Masters said he knew this because he was with her.
Likewise, a tour guide at the Cal Neva Resort offered his take to CBS.
He stated that the star was at the resort for just two days, and that she had overdosed
while staying at the resort.
They elaborated,
"[I]f Marilyn Monroe did die here, she died in the heart shaped bed that used to be here."
With plenty of speculation surrounding the circumstances of Marilyn Monroe's life and
death, the Independent reported that theories regarding the star's passing varied wildly
depending on who was reporting.
Some critics of the actress claimed that Monroe was a fading star who chose to end her own
life because her personal and professional lives both felt out of her control.
"Trying to be happy is almost as difficult as trying to be a good actress.
You have to work at both of them."
Others insist that Monroe was happier than ever during the time of her death.
Still, some believe there's one legendary source that could shed light on all these
claims.
The outlet stated that Monroe was known to have a little black book in which she documented
her love affairs and memorable conversations.
Unfortunately for fans and investigators alike, the whereabouts of Monroe's book remain a
mystery.
As noted by the outlet, no one is sure just how many people had access to Monroe's house
on the night her body was discovered.
However, since many people seem to have looked through Monroe's belongings after her death,
some believe that those searching were on the hunt for her secret book.
Before getting too deep into this particular theory, it's important to acknowledge that
this hypothesis is about as far-fetched as they come.
Author John Alexander Baker has long held the belief that Marilyn Monroe never actually
died.
As noted by Daily Star, Baker published his bizarre theory in his book Marilyn Monroe:
Alive in 1984?, in which the author insists that he met the star about 22 years after
her reported death.
Baker also uploaded a cryptic video to YouTube, titled "Marilyn Monroe, 'ALIVE,' in 1984?
She didn't die in 1962," in which he expresses this controversial opinion.
In his video, the author claims that Monroe did not die in 1962, and alleges that her
death was staged.
Baker then declares that Monroe was held at a mental institution for approximately 20
years before she was released.
He says that no one knew her true identity.
In his book, Baker goes into further detail.
He writes that he met a hitchhiker named Norma Jeane, who knew everything about the star
and bore a striking resemblance to Monroe.
Following their meeting, Baker began researching the lookalike, claiming that what he discovered
led him to believe he had met the real Marilyn Monroe.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text
Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI
(6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.