Death of Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe died on 4 August 1962 in Brentwood, aged 36. An American actress and model, Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortenson and grew up in foster homes before beginning a career as a model in the 1940s. She became a major film star of the 1950s in comedies such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Some Like It Hot, for which she won a Golden Globe, and in the drama Bus Stop. She founded her own production company and sought more serious roles, studying at the Actors Studio. Her personal life, including marriages to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, was widely reported. She died of a barbiturate overdose at the age of thirty-six, ruled a probable suicide, and became a lasting icon of popular culture.

Open on the timeline