Published for the fiftieth anniversary of her tragic death, this definitive account dispels the rumors and sets the record straight on her last two years Marilyn Monroe passed away at the age of thirty-six under circumstances that have remained mysterious to this day. Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years separates the myths and rumors from the facts as Keith Badman takes readers through the concluding months of 1960 to that fateful day in August 1962. In this extraordinary book—the product of five years of exhaustive research—the author is both biographer and detective: Badman uncovers long-lost or previously unseen personal records, exclusive interviews, and eyewitness accounts that illuminate the final chapter of Marilyn's life as she navigates weight gain, drug use, an dpersonal turmoil, along with drama on the set of the ill-fated movie Something's Got to Give. Badman dispels popular beliefs, such as her supposed affairs with John and Bobby Kennedy. (Monroe only had a one-night stand with the president at Bing Crosby's house, and never with Bobby.) Readers learn the long-concealed identity of her biological father, who refused Marilyn's attempt to contact him in 1951—and was then repaid with her apathy ten years later when he attempted to contact her. The author also reveals the details of her famous "last Sitting" with photographer Bert Stern (which was not her last photo shoot) and describes the horror she endured after being tricked into being institutionalized at the Payne-Whitney Psychiatric Clinic, from which ex-husband Joe DiMaggio had to pull strings to secure her release. Perhaps most shockingly, we learn of the regrettable incident in which a drunken Monroe was sexually exploited by mobsters at a Lake Tahoe hotel co-owned by Frank Sinatra. Finally contrary to the salacious rumors that Marilyn was suicidal or the victim of a murder and cover-up, Badman discloses new information about her final days alive and reveals, in unequivocal detail, evidence that indicates Monroe's death was accidental. Above it all, Badman pays homage to Monroe by rescuing her final months from the realm of wild and sensationalized allegations popularized by those who sought to gain from them. Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years sheds new light on an immortal movie legend.

This “extraordinary” account of the superstar’s tragic death, and what led up to it, is “a relentless and detailed quest for the truth” (Lancashire Post). In his illuminating, fascinating book, Keith Badman finally uncovers the truth about the iconic actress’s last years. It was a tough time—one in which Marilyn Monroe’s increasingly erratic behavior and dependence on alcohol and medication plunged her glittering movie career into drastic decline. Meticulously researched, the book reveals precisely how Monroe died at just thirty-six years of age, and shines a light on the suspicious delays on the night of her overdose—delays that indicate a cover-up. He discovers new details about her rekindled relationship with Joe DiMaggio, and the horrendous weekend she spent at Frank Sinatra’s Cal-Neva lodge, as well as why Fox refused to let her finish her final movie, Something’s Got to Give, and her distress at being imprisoned at the Payne Whitney psychiatric hospital. Drawing on private, previously unpublished itineraries and original eyewitness accounts, Badman sheds new light on Marilyn’s involvement with John and Bobby Kennedy, and ends a six-decade-old mystery by telling the precise date of her first encounter with the president. The Final Years of Marilyn Monroe features a deluge of stories of which even die-hard fans will be unaware. “[A] nearly day-by-day account of her life from June 1961 to her death in August 1962.” —Kirkus Reviews Includes photos

Written at the height of her fame but not published until over a decade after her death, this autobiography of actress and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) poignantly recounts her childhood as an unwanted orphan, her early adolescence, her rise in the film industry from bit player to celebrity, and her marriage to Joe DiMaggio. In this intimate account of a very public life, she tells of her first (non-consensual) sexual experience, her romance with the Yankee Clipper, and her prescient vision of herself as "the kind of girl they found dead in the hall bedroom with an empty bottle of sleeping pills in her hand." The Marilyn in these pages is a revelation: a gifted, intelligent, vulnerable woman who was far more complex than the unwitting sex siren she portrayed on screen. Lavishly illustrated with photos of Marilyn, this special book celebrates the life and career of an American icon—-from the unique perspective of the icon herself.

Like her art, Marilyn Monroe was rooted in paradox: She was a powerful star and a childlike waif; a joyful, irreverent party girl with a deeply spiritual side; a superb friend and a narcissist; a dumb blonde and an intellectual. No previous biographer has recognized-much less attempted to analyze-most of these aspects of her personality. Lois Banner has. With new details about Marilyn's childhood foster homes, her sexual abuse, her multiple marriages, her affairs, and her untimely death at the age of thirty-six, Marilyn is, at last, the nuanced biography Monroe fans have been waiting for.

Marilyn Monroe's death has been shrouded in decades of deception, conspiracy, and lies. Donald H. Wolfe has written a startling portrait of the twentieth century's greatest film star that not only redefines her place in entertainment history but also reveals the secret conspiracy that surrounded her last days. In The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe, Wolfe confirms that the tragic actress was a homicide victim. He documents the mode of death, and names those involved and those who participated in the cover-up. Filled with documented revelations, eye-opening information about the dark secret in Marilyn's relationship with John and Robert Kennedy, and shocking details about the many bizarre events that took place at Marilyn's home the day she died, Donald H. Wolfe's remarkable book is the culmination of more than seven years of research. It will change forever the way we view the life—and death—of this great star.

From New York Times bestselling author J. Randy Taraborrelli comes the definitive biography of the most enduring icon in popular American culture. When Marilyn Monroe became famous in the 1950s, the world was told that her mother was either dead or simply not a part of her life. However, that was not true. In fact, her mentally ill mother was very much present in Marilyn's world and the complex family dynamic that unfolded behind the scenes is a story that has never before been told...until now. In this groundbreaking book, Taraborrelli draws complex and sympathetic portraits of the women so influential in the actress' life, including her mother, her foster mother, and her legal guardian. He also reveals, for the first time, the shocking scope of Marilyn's own mental illness, the identity of Marilyn's father and the half-brother she never knew, and new information about her relationship with the Kennedy's-Bobby, Jack, and Pat Kennedy Lawford. Explosive, revelatory, and surprisingly moving, this is the final word on the life of one of the most fascinating and elusive icons of the 20th Century.

Relying on over 150 interviews as well as Marilyn's letters and diaries, this work by best-selling biographer Spoto casts new light on every aspect of the actress's tempestuous life.