A biographer has alleged that one of Marilyn Monroe's doctors concealed his involvement in the actress's death by denying he prescribed a drug that contributed to her fatal overdose. Monroe, renowned for her performances in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire, died in 1962 at age 36 from a barbiturate overdose at her Los Angeles home. The Los Angeles County coroner ruled her death a probable suicide after she ingested a lethal combination of chloral hydrate, a sedative, and Nembutal.
Now, author Andrew Wilson, 58, claims to have evidence that Monroe's death—long shrouded in conspiracy theories—should be viewed as a case of medical negligence by her physician, Dr. Hyman Engelberg. Engelberg, Monroe's personal doctor, maintained until his death in 2005 that he prescribed her Nembutal but not chloral hydrate. These drugs, used to treat insomnia, a condition Monroe suffered from, should not be taken together.
Engelberg's Denials and Contradictory Evidence
In 1982, Engelberg was interviewed by Los Angeles police after they reopened an investigation into Monroe's death amid conspiracy theories. He claimed he knew 'nothing' about chloral hydrate and 'never used it,' stating the only prescription he wrote for Monroe was for Nembutal. However, a prescription order from 1962 for chloral hydrate, sold at auction in 2011, was found to bear Engelberg's signature.
Wilson discovered this prescription while researching his book, I Wanna Be Loved By You: Marilyn Monroe, A Life in 100 Takes, published this year ahead of the centenary of Monroe's birth. Wilson argues this evidence proves Engelberg was dishonest about his role in her death. Speaking to The Times, Wilson questioned why Engelberg would 'deny it so emphatically' if he had nothing to hide.
Wilson suggests that in the weeks before Monroe's death, Engelberg was distracted by his separation from his wife, Esther, leading to panic. He added that if Monroe's death occurred today, her doctor might face involuntary manslaughter charges for overprescribing medication to a vulnerable patient.
Comparisons to Matthew Perry's Death
Wilson drew parallels between Monroe's case and the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry, who died at 54 from an overdose. Erik Fleming, a drug addiction counselor who sourced the ketamine that killed Perry, was among five people charged in connection with his death. Wilson described Monroe's death as 'an accident, but also a catastrophic slip of judgment.' He noted that in the last two months of her life, Monroe was prescribed 830 units of medication—enough to kill several people multiple times over.
The Night of Monroe's Death
On the night of Monroe's death in Brentwood, her psychiatrist, Dr. Ralph Greenson, was contacted by her housekeeper, Eunice Murray, who was alarmed that Monroe had locked herself in her bedroom. Greenson broke a window and found the actress unresponsive on her bed. He then called Engelberg, who pronounced Monroe dead. However, Engelberg waited nearly an hour before calling the police, telling them Monroe had committed suicide.
Conspiracy Theories and Forensic Analysis
The Strange Death of Marilyn Monroe, a 1964 pamphlet by right-wing polemicist Frank A. Capell, is widely regarded as the source of conspiracy theories surrounding Monroe's death. Capell argued Monroe was murdered as part of a communist conspiracy involving Robert F. Kennedy, with whom she had an affair. This idea was later popularized by Norman Mailer in his 1973 biography of Monroe. Wilson believes this publicity caused the conspiracy to be passed 'down the generations,' citing Monroe's ongoing connection to the Kennedys.
Wilson, who spent five years researching his book, said he wanted to examine Monroe's death in a 'forensic manner,' asking, 'This is a death scene, but is it also a crime scene?' He aims to 'penetrate' beyond the accepted image of Monroe, arguing that 'nonsense' has been written about her, including conspiracy theories. He prefers to frame Monroe, best known as the comic 'blonde bombshell,' as a 'survivor' rather than a victim.
