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Marilyn Monroe’s corpse was unrecognizable with ‘false breasts, hairy legs’

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Updated on July 6, 2023

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For the first time, the funeral director who assisted in preparing Marilyn Monroe’s corpse for burial after her alleged overdose death at age 36 in 1962 has come up, revealing the star’s last moments.

In the 1960s, Allan Abbott and Ron Hast operated Abbott & Hast, one of the most well-known funeral services at the time, serving celebrities including Marilyn Monroe and Natalie Wood.

According to Abbott, who has authored a book on his work with celebrities, Monroe was unrecognizable when he saw her corpse soon after she passed away, the Mirror claimed.

According to Abbott, they were contacted by West Los Angeles Police Station on August 5, 1962, after Marilyn died at her Brentwood home at 1230 Fifth Helena Drive from what seemed to be an overdose.

Dr. Hyman Engelberg allegedly called the police station and told the receptionist that Marilyn had passed away.

“When we removed the sheet covering her, it was almost impossible to believe this was the body of Marilyn Monroe. She looked like a very average, aging woman who had not been taking very good care of herself. Obviously, the circumstances surrounding her death had greatly exacerbated her poor appearance and she was unrecognizable.

He added that when someone dies, gravity causes the blood to settle to the lowest point of the body. This condition is called lividity, and considering that many people die lying on their backs, the discoloration that occurs is seldom visible.

“In Marilyn’s case, she died face down, so there were purple blotches on her face, and her neck was very swollen. They had bathed her at the coroner’s office, and her hair was frizzy and fairly short.”

“You could tell she had not bleached it for some time, because the roots were darker and had grown out about half an inch.

“Her natural hair color was a light brown, not blonde. Her legs hadn’t been shaved for at least a week, and her lips were badly chapped. She was also in need of a manicure and pedicure.”

They were forced to perform surgery on Marilyn’s neck to reduce swelling, and later received clothes to dress her in – noting she “never wore panties”.

They also claim to have found false breasts in her belongings, but chose not to use them. Instead the wife of the cemetery’s manager stuffed her bra with cotton to make her look more like herself.

The star’s make-up artists Sydney Guilaroff and Allan ‘Whitey’ Snyder later explained the star had begun to use the enhancements as her breasts began to sag in her thirties.

They made up her face, as well as adding her wig.

Marilyn’s ex and close friend Joe DiMaggio kept a vigil at the mortuary, before walking outside and crying, according to Abbott.

The pair remained close after marrying in January 1954, before Marilyn filed for divorce 274 days later.

Full story:

Marilyn Monroe was an American actress and model who was found dead in her Los Angeles home on August 5, 1962.

The official cause of death was acute barbiturate poisoning, but the circumstances surrounding her death remain a mystery.

Monroe had been taking a variety of prescription medications for various ailments, including depression and insomnia.

There were no signs of struggle or foul play at the scene of her death, leading some to believe that she may have died from an accidental overdose of her medication.

Monroe’s housekeeper discovered her body in her bedroom, lying face down on her bed.

A bottle of sleeping pills was found near her body, but it was unclear if she had taken the pills herself or if someone else had administered them to her.

An autopsy was performed on Monroe’s body, but the results were inconclusive and did not provide any clear answers about the cause of her death.

Many theories have been proposed about the circumstances of Monroe’s death, including suicide, murder, and accidental overdose.

Some have speculated that Monroe’s death was the result of a conspiracy involving high-ranking members of the government or organized crime.

Monroe was buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles on August 8, 1962.

She was 36 years old at the time of her death.

Monroe’s funeral was attended by a small group of family and friends, including her former husband Joe DiMaggio.

The press and public were not allowed to attend the funeral, and Monroe’s grave was marked with a simple bronze plaque that did not mention her stage name.

In 1992, Monroe’s grave was moved to a more prominent location in the cemetery and a new marker was placed that included her stage name.

Monroe’s death was front-page news and sparked widespread public mourning.

Many of Monroe’s films were re-released in the weeks and months after her death, and her popularity increased dramatically.

In the years following her death, Monroe has become an iconic figure and a symbol of Hollywood glamour and tragedy.

Monroe’s death has been the subject of numerous books, films, and plays, and continues to be a source of fascination and speculation.

In 2009, a private investigator named Milo Speriglio claimed to have uncovered evidence that Monroe was murdered by Robert F. Kennedy and his brother-in-law, Peter Lawford.

However, these claims have never been substantiated and the true cause of Monroe’s death remains unknown.