How actress Marilyn Monroe's death remains a mystery despite reports of suicide, and how the Netflix documentary offered nothing | Explained

Hollywood actress and diva Marilyn Monroe was a style icon that oozed oomph with her scorching and smoldering aura and scintillating demeanour. She was the most sensual personality on celluloid that was revered for her irresistible roles and performances. Critics and fans were perpetually in awe of how she owned every frame she was in, dominating with ease and elan.

The tragic end of a glittery life

It's said the starlet suffered from mental illness and at the age of 36 in August 1962, died at age 36 of a barbiturate overdose inside her home at 12305 Fifth Helena Drive in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California.

Her body was discovered before dawn the following morning, on August 5. Monroe had been one of the most popular Hollywood stars during the 1950s and early 1960s and was a top-billed actress for the preceding decade.

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The mystery behind the shocking death

As per People, in an interview back in 2012, forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht was quoted saying, "I don't think there's any question about the cause of death. The autopsy was thorough and complete. Dr. Tom Noguchi [LA's Chief Medical Examiner] did a very good job, so we're not missing anything here, such as strangulation, suffocation, anything like that."

He added, "Obviously, she wasn't shot or stabbed and she had no natural diseases, so I think the cause of death is indisputable: a combination of the chloral hydrate and the phenobarbital, specifically."

The Netflix documentary

A Netflix documentary, The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes, dives back into the lurid lore surrounding Marilyn Monroe’s death in 1962 at age 36.

Directed by Emma Cooper, the documentary is based on Anthony Summers’ book Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe. The documentary showcases recordings, which feature words from members of Monroe’s inner circle, aim to show a new side of Monroe to the one the world is familiar with.

This is not the first time Monroe’s life has been examined. Alongside several documentaries, 2011 film My Week With Marilyn examined Monroe’s life in the middle of her career during the shooting of The Prince and the Showgirl. Based on the diaries of filmmaker Colin Clark, it starred Michelle Williams as Marilyn – a role for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. In addition, Ana de Armas played Monroe in the film Blonde, based on Joyce Carol Oates’s novel about her life.