Marilyn Monroe was a star, unique from many before and after her. She was an actress, singer and model. She is still called a ‘sex symbol’ to this day.

She died on August 5th 1962 from an overdose. What really happened is not clear, but due to the circumstances of her death and her psychological condition beforehand, it is handled as suicide.  

During her career she was loved and idolized, and her death changed nothing about that. Moreover, she became a legend throughout the western world. Her legacy is present everywhere,from music and theatre to a background screen on a smartphone.

Monroe’s death was a big spectacle. It was unexpected for the public and even in her death she was followed by paparazzi trying to get the last photo of her body. Newspapers had her death as a headline, followed with pages about her life and death.

Marilyn’s death became a fascination and point of speculation, but also the person behind her persona, Norma Jeane Mortenson (her actual name) became a focus. As a result countless books were published about her, her life, and the struggles that probably led to her end. In the book ‘Fragments’ a lot of her writings, including notes, letters, and poems were published. Further, all kinds of items can be bought with her face on it as such as a mug or a bag. 

Her name and face are still so famous that people continue to visit her grave in California. It is easy to find since her the stone of her grave marker is a different color than all the others. It is light red because it is popular to kiss the tombstone with red lipstick, which is hard to remove and makes it stand out between all the grey ones.

References

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGmLC2X_Hxg

Monroe, M. (2012). Fragments. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.