Welcome to the new episode of American hauntings, the podcast dedicated to the history, hauntings, legends, lore, and the dark side of American history.

And finally, welcome to the last episode in our season on haunted Hollywood, which is as always hosted and produced by Cody Beck and written and performed by Troy Taylor.

That's me. We hope you've enjoyed this season, although maybe enjoy is not the right word for tales of murder, mayhem, suicide, revenge, and the kind of broken hearts and dreams that only the city of angels can offer.

We know it's been a long season, but we had a lot of stories to tell, and we still have just one more.

We wanted to make sure that the season went out with a bang, and we couldn't figure out a better person to do that with.

But if you somehow have ended up here without listening to everything that came before, we'll encourage you to go back to episode 70 and start from there.

Just be aware that the episodes of the season are definitely not suitable for all listeners.

So if you continue on from here, you can't say we didn't warn you because we have 27 times now.

So let's get the last party started.

I would be willing to say there is not a single Hollywood legend that is inspired as much enthusiasm and outright worship over the years as Marilyn Monroe has.

She's one of Hollywood's greatest icons, and the fact rumors, legends, and lies about her life and death have become an essential part of Tensletown's lore.

On the surface, Marilyn seemed to live the glamorous life of a movie star in celebrity, but she was also very private, very smart, and often very troubled woman.

Part of this enduring fame comes from the fact that she was gone too soon, a victim of apparent suicide at the age of only 36, and she remains with us.

Frozen in time, always young, always beautiful.

Taking from us too soon, she leaves behind many mysteries, mostly about her death, which refused to go away.

Many believe she was murdered, naming one culprit after another, including both the mob and an American president and his brother in her demise.

Of course, a secret murder must be linked to a conspiracy to cover up the crime, leading to questions, theories, and lingering doubts about what really happened.

And thanks to this, the death of Marilyn Monroe just might be one of Hollywood's greatest unsolved mysteries, and may provide the reason why her ghost continues to linger in Hollywood today.

She was born Norma Jean Mortensen on June 1, 1926. Her mother Gladys had previously been married to a businessman named John Baker.

After that ended, Gladys married a gas company meter man named Martin Mortensen, but they separated in 1925, months before she became pregnant with Norma Jean, making her baby's father what of a number of different candidates.

Gladys spent most of her daughter's early years in mental institutions, which meant Norma Jean lived in foster homes and later in an orphanage.

Her mother had a messy life, which Norma Jean didn't want for herself.

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