1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:04,160 Speaker 1: Well, she was and is arguably the biggest Hollywood sex 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,280 Speaker 1: symbol of all time. Chris, we're talking about Marilyn Monroe. 3 00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:11,680 Speaker 1: Her life was short and tragic, but her fame stratospheric, 4 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:15,480 Speaker 1: and there have always been questions about what exactly happened 5 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 1: the night she died, as well as rumors of her 6 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:21,480 Speaker 1: love affairs with both President Kennedy and his brother Robert. 7 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:26,600 Speaker 1: Now there's some fascinating info about her autopsy from Hollywood's 8 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: most well known corner they Calumn Corner to the Stars, 9 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 1: Thomas Negucci. I'm Patty Steele. Did Marilyn Monroe really commit suicide? 10 00:00:35,479 --> 00:00:39,520 Speaker 1: And if so, why did the medical evidence disappear? That's 11 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:45,880 Speaker 1: next on the back story. The back story is back. 12 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:49,640 Speaker 1: Marilyn Monroe was born in nineteen twenty six, real name 13 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:53,479 Speaker 1: Norma Jean Mortensen. She grew up mainly in Foster homes, 14 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 1: and by the time she was twenty she had been 15 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 1: married and divorced. She became a fairly successful pin up 16 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 1: model and had a few minor roles in movies. By 17 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:06,120 Speaker 1: twenty four she had signed a contract with Fox, and 18 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:10,200 Speaker 1: then her career began to take off. In nineteen fifty three, 19 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 1: she was the first cover model for the brand new 20 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 1: Playboy magazine. She was in some of the hottest movies 21 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 1: of the nineteen fifties, always as a sex symbol, but 22 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 1: also as a comedic actress as well as a serious one. 23 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 1: So her entire career lasted just a little more than 24 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 1: a decade, and then she was gone. In nineteen fifty four, 25 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 1: at the height of her fame, she married recently retired 26 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: baseball superstar Joe DiMaggio. The marriage only lasted nine months, 27 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:42,960 Speaker 1: allegedly because Joe was jealous of her stardom and public 28 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:47,040 Speaker 1: sex appeal. There were numerous screaming battles and even reports 29 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: of him beating her up. In nineteen fifty six, she 30 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:54,680 Speaker 1: married the Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Arthur Miller. After four 31 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 1: and a half years, that marriage ended as well, but 32 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 1: it's what went on in between and after each marriage 33 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 1: that he has made Marylyn the subject of so many conspiracy theories. 34 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:08,560 Speaker 1: Word is she met John F. Kennedy at a party 35 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:11,920 Speaker 1: in Los Angeles in nineteen fifty five when he was 36 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: a senator, but they're apparent affair didn't actually happen until 37 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:20,320 Speaker 1: early nineteen sixty two, when he was President. Then, on 38 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:24,000 Speaker 1: May nineteenth of that year, there was the infamous appearance 39 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:27,320 Speaker 1: at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where Marilyn 40 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:31,639 Speaker 1: sang a very sexy rendition of Happy Birthday, mister President 41 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 1: to him while wearing an almost see through, skin tight 42 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: sparkly dress she'd been sewn into. Now insiders say he 43 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 1: was humiliated by the public display, and she was told 44 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:48,079 Speaker 1: afterwards he wanted no more contact with her. JFK had 45 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:50,960 Speaker 1: had enough of Marilyn and he sort of passed her 46 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 1: on to his younger brother, Robert Kennedy, who also was 47 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 1: attracted to her, no kidding. As fragile as she was emotionally, 48 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 1: this put her over the edge. The well known nineteen 49 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:05,760 Speaker 1: fifties private eye Fred Otash claimed to have bugged Marilyn's 50 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:08,960 Speaker 1: house and said the night before she died, she had 51 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:12,400 Speaker 1: a screamfest with RFK and told him she felt like 52 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 1: she was being passed around between the brothers like a 53 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:18,880 Speaker 1: piece of meat. Twenty four hours later, she was dead. 54 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:22,519 Speaker 1: And that's where Thomas Negucci comes in. We know him 55 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:25,600 Speaker 1: as the coroner to the stars. Some of the celebrities 56 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:31,120 Speaker 1: he autopsied include John Belushi, Janis Joplin, Sharon Tate, Natalie Wood, 57 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:34,480 Speaker 1: and Robert F. Kennedy. He was just thirty seven years 58 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: old and a new deputy Corner in Los Angeles. It 59 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 1: was his job to examine Maryland's body. While the official 60 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 1: cause of death was labeled a suicide, Negucci says there's 61 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 1: more to the story in a new biography called La Corner. 62 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: He says key evidence in the case was destroyed before 63 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:57,880 Speaker 1: he could thoroughly examine it. Her nude body had been 64 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 1: found in her bed, with her hands strung reach stored 65 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 1: her telephone. There were tons of empty pill bottles lined 66 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:07,240 Speaker 1: up on her night table, as well as a recently 67 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 1: filled prescription for nemutoh, a powerful injectable sedative that's usually 68 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:15,800 Speaker 1: used in hospitals. The public was told she had taken 69 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:18,960 Speaker 1: her own life with an overdose. But here's the thing, 70 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:23,040 Speaker 1: Naguchi says. The first thing he did, knowing what drugs 71 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:26,320 Speaker 1: were available, was check her body for signs of an injection. 72 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:30,760 Speaker 1: He looked everywhere her inner elbows, thighs, the webbing between 73 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 1: her fingers and toes, even her scalp, no needle marks. 74 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:37,680 Speaker 1: He then opened her up and inspected her stomach and 75 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:43,000 Speaker 1: small intestine, no residue of pills. He was shocked. He 76 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:45,600 Speaker 1: didn't know what to make of it. So he took 77 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 1: samples of her blood, urine, liver, kidneys, and digestive tract 78 00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:53,360 Speaker 1: for toxicology, anxious to test them to see if the 79 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:57,000 Speaker 1: official version of her cause of death was true. But 80 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:00,360 Speaker 1: the main toxicologist just went ahead and wrote any report 81 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:04,240 Speaker 1: affirming the official story. He abruptly decided not to run 82 00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:08,000 Speaker 1: any more tests on her stomach or other organs. Negucci 83 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 1: was stunned, and he says that Marilynd's insides were then 84 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:15,800 Speaker 1: quickly disposed of before he could effectively examine them any further. 85 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:21,280 Speaker 1: Says Neguci, it left too many questions unanswered, and ultimately, 86 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:25,200 Speaker 1: as the pathologist who conducted the autopsy, I would be 87 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:28,279 Speaker 1: held responsible. But he says without being able to do 88 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 1: those further tests, it was impossible to really know how 89 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 1: she'd died. He said, if she'd been injected, it would 90 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:39,800 Speaker 1: have kicked off a major investigation, but he says, I 91 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:43,080 Speaker 1: was young, new on the job, and I couldn't question 92 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:47,479 Speaker 1: the chief coroner or the head toxicologist, and so Marylynd's 93 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:49,840 Speaker 1: death at the age of thirty six remains a bit 94 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:53,880 Speaker 1: of a mystery and probably always will be. In the aftermath. 95 00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:57,799 Speaker 1: Joe DiMaggio helped handle her funeral and allowed no public 96 00:05:57,839 --> 00:06:02,400 Speaker 1: figures to attend, including any of the Kennedys. Thomas Negucci, 97 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:05,919 Speaker 1: now almost ninety nine years old, still has doubts about 98 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:09,120 Speaker 1: what really happened to her, He said all those questions 99 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:12,960 Speaker 1: have haunted him for the last sixty three years. I 100 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:16,040 Speaker 1: hope you like The Backstory with Patty Steele. Please leave 101 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:18,599 Speaker 1: a review. I would love it if you'd subscribe or 102 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:22,839 Speaker 1: follow for free to get new episodes delivered automatically, and 103 00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:24,599 Speaker 1: also feel free to dm me if you have a 104 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:27,320 Speaker 1: story you'd like me to cover. On Facebook, It's Patty 105 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:36,240 Speaker 1: Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele. I'm Patty Steele. 106 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:40,800 Speaker 1: The Backstories a production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, the Elvis 107 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:45,040 Speaker 1: Durant Group, and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer is Doug Fraser. 108 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:48,920 Speaker 1: Our writer Jake Kushner. We have new episodes every Tuesday 109 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:51,440 Speaker 1: and Friday. Feel free to reach out to me with 110 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:55,479 Speaker 1: comments and even story suggestions on Instagram at Real Patty 111 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:59,000 Speaker 1: Steele and on Facebook at Patty Steele. Thanks for listening 112 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:02,279 Speaker 1: to the Backstory with Fatty Steele, the pieces of history 113 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:04,159 Speaker 1: you didn't know you needed to know.