It came as a big shock since she was so young. It was not expected. Elvis's death was just about the same shock and big news.
I was in the Air Force in Meridian in August of 1962 and a guy who had some relatives with a house(or cabin)near Gulf Shores invited 3 of us to go with him for the weekend.
We had had a good time and the news about Marilyn's death came on Sat. July 5th as I recall. The link below shows some of the newspaper reports from that time. I guess someone heard it on a radio and then told others by word of mouth. We were at the beach. She was only 36 years old.
http://mitchellarchives.com/marilyn-monroe-found-dead.htm
I have read many books about her and her death and don't know what really happened. There are so many rumors just like the Kenneday assassination that it is hard to know what to believe.
I do not know who first published her autopsy photo. It showed her face and head without any makeup and her hair had been washed back away from her face. She looked very ordinary.
The autopsy photo is available online but I don't feel like adding it in this post. I remember the first time I saw the autopsy photo of her face and head and how shocked I was. It changed my whole attitude about beauty Hollywood style.
As Rita Hayworth who played Gilda in the movie Gilda once said, "Men go to bed with Gilda and they wake up with me".
Cybill Shepherd once said of Hollywood beauty in general "It is all hair and makeup".
