--- title: Marilyn Monroe's Obituary: Read What TIME Wrote in 1962 description: The actress died on Aug. 5, 1962 canonical: https://time.com/3984289/marilyn-monroe-obituary/ author: Lily Rothman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-08-05T11:00:30.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:41:27.368Z article:section: History og:title: Marilyn Monroe's Obituary: Read What TIME Wrote in 1962 og:description: The actress, who died on Aug. 5, 1962, was "the only blonde in the world" og:url: https://time.com/3984289/marilyn-monroe-obituary/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1c190206e9c70e8b/69885ddc2dce0123309e4eb5/monroe.jpeg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Marilyn Monroe On 'The Misfits' Set og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Marilyn Monroe's Obituary: Read What TIME Wrote in 1962 twitter:description: The actress, who died on Aug. 5, 1962, was "the only blonde in the world" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1c190206e9c70e8b/69885ddc2dce0123309e4eb5/monroe.jpeg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Read Marilyn Monroe's Obituary From 1962 ## Video: Marilyn Sings to JFK: The 50th Anniversary of an Iconic Photo [Watch (HLS stream): Marilyn Sings to JFK: The 50th Anniversary of an Iconic Photo](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Rrnhu3Eg.m3u8) (4:05)  _Published 2012-05-15. Photographer Bill Ray shares the behind-the-scenes story of his classic picture of Marilyn Monroe_  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Aug 5, 2015 11:00 AM UTC  Marilyn Monroe leans over the back of the front seat of a car on the set of 'The Misfits,' directed by John Huston, Nevada, 1960. Marilyn Monroe leans over the back of the front seat of a car on the set of 'The Misfits,' directed by John Huston, Nevada, 1960.Ernst Haas—Getty Images  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Aug 5, 2015 11:00 AM UTC When Marilyn Monroe died on Aug. 5, 1962, she left behind a series of contradictions. The actress panicked easily, but basked in public attention. She was sometimes troubled by her status as a sex symbol, yet she was willing to profit from it. It was a see-saw life, as TIME’s obituary for the Hollywood icon made clear: --- > “” --- **_Read the full remembrance from 1962, here in the TIME Vault:_** [The Only Blonde in the World](http://time.com/vault/issue/1962-08-10/page/47/) ### Marilyn Monroe: A Life in Photos  Marilyn Monroe on the patio outside of her home, 1953. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Marilyn Monroe posing in a studio, 1949. J.R. Eyerman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Marilyn Monroe in dance class, 1949. J.R. Eyerman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Marilyn Monroe in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California, 1950. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Marilyn Monroe in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California, 1950. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Marilyn Monroe strikes a pose, 1950. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Marilyn Monroe talking on the phone during an interview for the movie "Clash by Night," while producer Jerry Wald looks on, 1951. Bob Landry—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Marilyn Monroe at the Club Del Mar, where she received the Henrietta Award for Best Young Box Office Personality, given by the Foreign Press Association of Hollywood, 1952. Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Marilyn Monroe at home, 1953. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Marilyn Monroe wearing her famous gold lamé gown designed by Bill Travilla for a publicity still for the motion picture "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," 1953. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell in a scene from the movie "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," 1953. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A tearful Marilyn Monroe standing outside her home to face dozens of reporters after the announcement of her divorce from Joe DiMaggio, 1954. George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Actor Robert Mitchum wrestles with Marilyn Monroe in a scene from the film "River of No Return," 1954. John Swope—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Marilyn Monroe sits on a piano in a scene from "River of No Return," 1954. J.R. Eyerman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Marilyn Monroe attends the premiere for 'East of Eden' at the Astor Theater, New York City, 1955. Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Marilyn Monroe and playwright Arthur Miller sit in a Thunderbird convertible, 1956. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Ambassador Winthrop Aldrich, ex-envoy to Britain, chats with Marilyn Monroe as her husband, Arthur Miller, looks on at the April in Paris Ball, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, 1957. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Marilyn Monroe looks startled while holding a flaming sparkler in the Rockefeller Center Sidewalk Superintendents Club during a ceremony for the soon-to-be built Time & Life Building, 1957. Walter Daran—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Producer Kermit Bloomgarden (right) visits with Arthur Miller (center) and his wife, Marilyn Monroe, in their apartment, 1958. Robert W. Kelley—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Marilyn Monroe peers out at husband Arthur Miller from behind a door to see if he approves, 1960. 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