TRENDING
Rarely Seen Photos of Marilyn Monroe
When you hear the name “Marilyn,” only one person can come to mind. That is the iconic and stunning Marilyn Monroe. Originally born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926.
1946 was the year that Marilyn was signed to her first movie and shortly after this the world could not get enough of the blonde bombshell. Here is a look into her life throughout the decades. Click Next to view the most stunning historical photos of Marilyn Monroe.
Life of Glamour and Scandal
Marilyn Monroe is an icon of American entertainment, but she was far more than just another pretty face — and not in a good way. Rumors of her life have been prevalent since her death, but these just released new photos hint at her supposed affair with JFK, a secret pregnancy, and even the perplexing mystery surrounding her own death….
A Life of Abuse
The first couple decades of Marilyn’s life (or Norma Jeane back then) contained some terrible experiences. Her own mother was a schizophrenic, and she was forced into a foster home at a very young age. Into her teen years, she was abused when her legal guardian molested her. In order to escape from it, she married when she was only 16, but it wasn’t meant to last.
Divorced
A marriage made simply for the sake of escaping a certain lifestyle typically won’t last, and this was sadly the case with Marilyn. Her husband, Jim Dougherty, was a kind man, but he also didn’t want his wife having a career of her own. When she began her modeling career at the age of 20, he was firmly opposed to it, and she decided to divorce him to move on with her future life of glitz and glamour. Little did she know how much that life would lead to her ultimate downfall….
America’s New Sex Symbol
Monroe was barely into her 20s when she was already being declared Hollywood’s newest sex symbol. She graced the covers of dozens of magazines and had established herself as a rising acting star, and she had already posed unclothed. She was making the dating rounds and getting in with the big-wigs and major head honchos. It was a life that would very soon catch up with her.
Turning to Drugs and Alcohol
As famous as Monroe had become, she was also becoming infamous for her difficult and temperamental personality, a result of her low self-esteem and obsessive desire for perfectionism. Because of it, anxiety and insomnia were just a few of the things she suffered from, and in order to cope with it all she ended up turning to drugs and alcohol. It was the slippery slope that led to her downfall.
Cut From the Studio
Marilyn was one of the first examples of typecasting, and she was consistently cast in the ditzy blond bombshell role. She eventually grew tired of this and refused an appearance in The Girl in Pink Tights, a musical comedy. As such, her contract with 20th Century Fox was officially terminated indefinitely. Her flirtatious nature and her difficult attitude was even causing marital problems between her and her second husband….
Divorced Again
It was during filming of The Seven Year Itch that the famous picture of Marilyn’s wind-blown skirt was taken, something that only solidified herself even more as a sex symbol. That, coupled with her other shortcomings, was cause enough for her brief marriage to Yankees outfielder Joe DiMaggio to come to a screeching halt. It was another marriage down the tubes, though it hardly mattered to her. Her career continued all the same — a path leading towards ultimate self-destruction.
FBI Investigations and Marrying Into Communism
Soon after she divorced DiMaggio, Marilyn began a relationship with the third (and not the last) man in her life: playwright Arthur Miller. There was nothing particularly wrong with the relationship….other than the fact that he was under surveillance by the FBI for being a Communist sympathizer. Now even Monroe was under their radar simply because she was involved with Miller. Despite the studio urging her to break it off, she refused — and ended up marrying the man. This was the point where her life began spiraling out of control.
Moving On To Guy #4
The dawn of the 1960s saw the sun setting for Marilyn’s career. She was as famous as ever, but her various scandals were affecting that fame. When it was revealed that she was having an affair with her Let’s Make Love (an appropriate name) co-star Yves Montand, people shied away from going to see it. It also caused her to miss out big with the lead role in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, a role that ended up going to Audrey Hepburn. Her substance abuse only increased more and more as the years progressed….
Rehab
By 1961 Monroe’s personal life was deteriorating at a rapid pace. She was divorced from her third husband and soon after spent a considerable amount of time in a mental ward to cope with her failing marriages and increasing alcoholism. She was able to stay clean for a little while, but then the tongues began wagging once again….
Happy Birthday, JFK
During President Kennedy’s 1962 birthday celebration, Monroe was asked to sing “Happy Birthday” for him. When she did, those in attendance noted the sultriness in her voice and the sexy undertones that she infused into it. This was what many believed to be a prelude to a scandalous affair that the two ended up being embroiled in….
Clear Evidence
Those who viewed the two together were able to deduce that there was certainly something going on between them. Author James Spada (Monroe’s biographer) stated, “it was pretty clear that Marilyn had had sexual relations with both Bobby and Jack.” Turns out that the president wasn’t the only Kennedy she was allegedly intimate with….
Cozy With the Kennedys
On top of her supposed involvement with the president, it was also highly rumored that Marilyn was having an affair with his brother Bobby after John grew tired of her. Marilyn was living the full glitz and glamour life, but then that tragic event occurred. In fact, it’s been highly suspected that her death had something to do with her alleged involvement with the Kennedys….
Her Untimely and Unusual Death
On August 5, 1962, the famous star was found in her home in California lying face-down on her bed. When the paramedics arrived, it was long too late to save her from the death that she supposedly brought upon herself.
Overdose? Or Something More Nefarious?
The coroner’s report stated that she had died from drug-induced poisoning, likely a suicide on her part. The body was removed and a funeral was held for the young star who never got the chance to straighten her life, and for a long while it seemed as if the case was closed. But new evidence has arisen that would suggest otherwise….
A Flawed Investigation
According to Donald Wolfe, author of another Monroe biography, a squad was formed to investigate the star’s death, though they completely botched the process by neglecting to interview key people like Monroe’s housekeeper or her publicist. The forensic work and the investigation were therefore conclusive of only the obvious, and failed to conduct a thorough inspection. Over 20 years after Marilyn’s death, though, her housekeeper revealed a crucial piece of information….
Were the Kennedys Involved In Marilyn’s Death?
During a 1983 interview with Monroe’s live-in housekeeper Eunice Murray, she openly admitted that she had been covering something up for two decades. When pressed for what she had been covering up, she responded with “Well of course Bobby Kennedy was there, and of course there was an affair with Bobby Kennedy.” “There” referred to Marilyn’s home on August 4, the day before she was discovered dead.
The Secret Tape
The confirmation from Eunice Murray jived with witnesses’ statements who claim to have heard a tape from Monroe’s bugged home from the night of her death. In the tape, an enraged Bobby Kennedy and Marilyn were engaged in a heated screaming match. But why would the Kennedys ever have interfered with her in the first place?
Threatening To Go Public
Reportedly, Marilyn had threatened to hold a press conference in which she would reveal her affairs with both Kennedy brothers. If this was indeed the case, it meant that the audio tape of their argument and Eunice Murray’s own confession to Bobby being present in her home pointed towards a collusion amongst the Kennedys to kill Monroe before she could expose the whole thing. If that were to happen, it most surely would have brought JFK’s presidency crashing down. But there’s even more proof that this was the case.
Bribery
Following Monroe’s death, those who worked closely with the investigation were all given new federal jobs. In fact, Monroe’s own publicist, Pat Newcomb, was taken to Hyannis Port — the Kennedys’ personal compound — and was given a job within the U.S. Information Agency just six months following. But there’s even another part of this story that new photos have also revealed….
Was Marilyn Pregnant?
Frieda Hull was a photographer and a personal friend of Marilyn’s, and these photos she took of her in 1960 are a strong indication that the star had been pregnant — a rumor that up until now has only been speculated. The baby bump is clearly visible, but who was the father?
Her Lover’s Child
Her baby’s father wasn’t Arthur Miller, whom she was married to at the time, but her co-star lover Yves Montand whom she was embroiled in an affair with. This theory is supported by the man who recently acquired these photos from auction. He was a friend of the photographer and has stated that Hull told him personally that Monroe was indeed pregnant at the time and that Montand was the father. So what ever happened to the baby?
Her Various Miscarriages
This was hardly the first pregnancy that Marilyn had gone through. She sadly had two miscarriages with Arthur Miller in 1957 and ‘58. That, coupled with the fact that this wasn’t her husband’s child, was the reason why she wanted to keep this third pregnancy a secret. Unfortunately, however, she ended up losing this one as well due to her endometriosis. It seemed as if everyone’s favorite star was simply destined to never be a mother. But there are even more just-released photos surrounding Monroe’s death….
Her Housekeeper, Eunice
Pictured is Monroe’s handyman Norman Jeffries and her housekeeper Eunice — the very woman who knew so much critical information concerning her death but was never asked a single question. She was right there, leaving the house on the very morning her body was discovered, with important information in her mind.
Removing the Body
Imagine being the one who had to go into the room where America’s blond bombshell was lying face-down, and then having to remove the body. It was no doubt a sobering time for those involved, something that — even for paramedics — they likely never forgot in their life.
The Notice
Once the body was removed, California police immediately placed this notice on the front door of her home as a warning that the premises were restricted. They likely feared that paparazzi or some overzealous fans would try to find out what had happened to America’s sweetheart.
Her Body
Marilyn’s body was perfectly prepared in honor of her legacy. Hundreds of people attended her funeral, including one of her previous husbands….
DiMaggio at Marilyn’s Funeral
Even though they were divorced, Joe DiMaggio still wanted to honor the woman he loved so fondly (even if that love wasn’t reciprocated by her). Next to him is his son Joseph who was enlisted in the armed forces at the time. In fact, he grieved just as much as anyone else there….
A Lasting Memory
DiMaggio never harbored any resentment towards Monroe for their divorce. On the contrary, he was greatly moved by her passing. Once she was laid to rest and the tears stopped flowing, he turned his attention towards the people he assumed responsible for her death.
He Blamed the Kennedys
The distraught DiMaggio needed to know what happened to his ex-wife, and he wasn’t so convinced that she had simply overdosed. He was convinced that the Kennedy’s were behind her death. “The whole lot of Kennedys were lady-killers,” he stated, “and they always got away with it. They’ll be getting away with it a hundred years from now.” Was DiMaggio on to them? Or was he simply trying not to face a terrible truth about the woman he loved?
He Never Got Over Her
37 years after her death, the famed baseball player was still remorse for her passing. Shortly before passing away himself in 1999, one of his final statements was, “I’ll finally get to see Marilyn.” In fact, there was one thing he did every week in memory of her….
Roses for the Rose
Every week that DiMaggio was alive between Marilyn’s death and his own, he made sure that her grave was always arranged with a bouquet of red roses, which were her favorite flowers. Three times a week he made sure this was done.
She Underwent Plastic Surgery
During her transitional period between being Norma Jeane and Marilyn Monroe, the actress was urged to undergo plastic surgery in order to complete her star look. And she took that advice — medical records indicate that she received a cartilage implant for her “chin deformity” and even had minor rhinoplasty done to her nose. The differences were small, but were apparently enough to provide a boost to her stardom.
A Mystery Less Mysterious
Until irrefutable, concrete evidence is released, we may never know with absolute surety what happened with Norma Jeane. Were the Kennedys actually involved in some grand plan to murder her? Or were they simply trying to cover up the affair? Marilyn’s life is a sad reminder that fame doesn’t always equal true success.
About Bon Voyaged
Welcome to Bon Voyaged, your gateway to a world of adventure, exploration, and cultural discovery. Whether you're an intrepid globetrotter planning your next big adventure, a travel enthusiast seeking inspiration for your bucket list, or simply someone looking to escape through the wonders of travel from the comfort of your own home, our platform is here to provide you with a wealth of information, tips, and inspiration. Join us in celebrating the beauty and diversity of our world as we share stories, recommendations, and a passion for wanderlust that knows no boundaries.
TRAVELNov
The Hidden Gem of Ireland: Why Northern Ireland Is a Must-Visit
When planning a vacation to Ireland, it’s tempting to focus solely on the well-known attractions of the Republic of Ireland....
EXPLORENov
26 Destinations That Are On Everyone’s List For Next Year
2025 promises to be a year of exciting travel opportunities, with destinations that offer unique experiences, rich cultural heritage, and...
TRAVELNov
Romantic Escapes That Won’t Break the Bank—or Require a Passport
The United States is filled with countless destinations perfect for a romantic escape that won’t break the bank. Whether you’re...
ECONOMYNov
25 Reasons Why A Vacation Can Make Or Break A Relationship
Vacations are often seen as a perfect opportunity for couples to relax, reconnect, and escape the daily grind. But taking...