More than six decades after Marilyn Monroe’s tragic death, the coroner who performed her autopsy is finally speaking out, and he's raising new questions about what really happened.
Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortensen, was one of Hollywood’s most iconic stars, known for her unforgettable roles in Some Like It Hot, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and The Seven Year Itch. With her platinum blonde hair, dazzling screen presence, and sultry rendition of "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy, Monroe became a lasting symbol of glamour and intrigue.
But in August 1962, her story came to an abrupt end. At just 36 years old, Monroe was found dead in her Brentwood, California home. Her official cause of death was ruled a drug overdose, presumed to be suicide, but conspiracy theories have swirled for decades, with some speculating foul play.
Now, in the new book LA Coroner by Anne Soon Choi, the man who performed Monroe’s autopsy, Dr. Thomas Noguchi, has broken his silence, casting doubt on the long-standing narrative.
Noguchi, now 98, was a young deputy coroner at the time and was assigned the high-profile case. He reveals that even back then, certain details struck him as strange, and left him unconvinced that Monroe’s death was an open-and-shut suicide, according to the Daily Mail.
Recalling the contents of the investigator’s report, Noguchi described the scene: Monroe was found lying face down in bed, with one arm stretched out toward the telephone. Nearby, there were numerous pill bottles scattered across her bedside table, including an empty bottle of Nembutal, a strong barbiturate used as a sleeping aid, and a partially empty bottle of chloral hydrate, a potent sedative.
According to Noguchi, the report also noted that Monroe had received a fresh prescription for Nembutal just two days earlier, and that she had recently spoken to her psychiatrist.
While the evidence may have aligned with an overdose, Noguchi admits that something about the situation never quite sat right with him. He doesn’t go so far as to declare Monroe’s death a homicide but he makes it clear that in his professional opinion, suicide is not the only plausible explanation.
His comments reignite the long-running mystery that has surrounded Monroe’s final days; a mystery that continues to fascinate the public more than 60 years later.