New Details of Marilyn Monroe's Life and Death

Nov. 4, 2005— -- A report in the December issue of Playboy reveals new details about the life of the legendary Marilyn Monroe and raises even more questions about her mysterious death in 1962.

Playboy contributor Lisa DePaulo talked exclusively to June DiMaggio, close friend of Monroe and niece of Monroe's ex-husband, Yankee legend Joe DiMaggio. June and other DiMaggio friends talked openly about a last-minute second wedding allegedly planned by Monroe and DiMaggio, and Monroe's last night alive.

The article also features uncensored and expanded transcripts of audio tapes of Monroe's psychotherapy sessions. The tapes, which were detailed in part by the Los Angeles Times in August, reveal for the first time, in Monroe's own words, that the actress was not suicidal at the time of her death.

"Here is a person stigmatized by the diagnosis of suicide when that is an absolutely wrong, false, erroneous diagnosis," said former L.A. County prosecutor John Miner Miner, who created the transcripts.

Miner was present at Monroe's post-mortem examination. While he does not dispute that she died of an overdose of the addictive sleep aid Nembutal, he has posed the theory it was used as part of an enema, administered by Monroe herself or by someone else while she was sedated.

Members of the DiMaggio family have long believed Monroe was not alone when she died. June DiMaggio says her mother, Lee, told her she was the last person to speak to Monroe on the night of Aug. 4, 1962.

Lee, who has since died, said she was on the phone with Monroe when Monroe screamed a name and dropped the phone. Lee took that name to the grave because she feared for the safety of her family, according to June.

June said Los Angeles police came to her door at 11 p.m. the night of Monroe's death, looking for her uncle, Joe, and informing her of the actress's passing. Official reports say that Monroe's housekeeper didn't call police until 4:30 a.m. on Aug. 5.

The DiMaggio family also told DePaulo that Monroe and Joe DiMaggio had planned to remarry on the day that turned out to be her funeral. Monroe had a dress and already picked out her china dishes. DiMaggio had a ring for her and there was talk that they might adopt a child.