It was the late 1970s, my grandmother plopped me down on a Saturday afternoon and turned on the television to shut me up so she could cook. The classic, “How to Marry a Millionaire” starring Marilyn Monroe. My grandmother was cooking in the kitchen and Marilyn’s performance was cooking on the screen. Curiously I asked, “Does Marilyn have any new movies?” She wiped her hands on her apron, “No, she’s dead.”

My grandmother went back to cooking. “Dead?” I was curious. The next Saturday I rose early and biked to the library. It was a manual world back then, the only system you were concerned about navigating was the dewy decimal system. The index card drawers dwarfed the counter, I needed a stool to reach the top. I grabbed scrap paper and an eraser-less mini pencil and jotted down a few numbers. Down the rabbit hole, I went.

Years go by and I was still intrigued by all the deception around her death. Unanswered questions. Who was at the house? The contents of her stomach? What about her psychiatrist? Who killed her – the mob, the CIA, the FBI, the Kennedy’s.

Books related to that time period, particularly about Hollywood, politics, and the mob, have accompanied me throughout my life. I have been reading about Marilyn since the 1980s. This year alone, I listened to about six podcasts and four audiobooks, read a series of tell-alls, and rewatched her movies, finding solace in the words of her contemporaries.

Larry King Live’s 75th Birthday Special on June 1st 2001 is one of my favorites to watch. King goes round robin to a variety of individuals who knew her well, “How good a talent was she?” “How good?” shot back Tony Curtis, “she was the best.” Jane Russell famously said she got on her with very well. Donald O’Connor didn’t think she was a headcase, even stating “she knew where the Marilyn character ended.” She showed tremendous generosity on the set to other actors even younger ones. She was always honing her craft at The Actor’s Studio as she put it, “I don’t care about the money, I want to be wonderful.”

Adored by millions who already think she’s wonderful and always searching for the answers.

AI Generated Marilyn

Waif no more