Warning: This article contains discussion of self-harm which some readers may find distressing.
Marilyn Monroe wrote a devastating letter to her psychiatrist in the period leading up to her death aged 36.
Sunday 1 June 2026 marks what would have been the There’s No Business Like Show Business star’s 100th birthday, and tributes have been flooding social media as fans remember the screen legend.
“Crazy that Marilyn Monroe has been gone for over 60 years and she’s still one of the most recognizable faces on Earth,” somebody said on Twitter.
“Some stars become famous. Marilyn became timeless,” said another.
A third continued: “Some Like It Hot still holds up as one of the funniest performances ever put on film.
“Monroe playing naive while being the smartest person in every scene is a trick almost no one has pulled off since.”
Although Monroe’s career made her one of Hollywood’s biggest names, she faced significant struggles away from the spotlight.
Her early life was marked by trauma, and she battled mental health challenges that at one stage led to a short stay in a psychiatric facility in New York City.
She also dealt with insomnia and became reliant on sleeping pills. The dependency, widely reported in accounts of her later years, would ultimately contribute to her death.
Monroe was found dead at her Los Angeles home, and her death was officially attributed to an acute barbiturate overdose, described at the time as a ‘probable suicide’.
In the lead-up to her death, Monroe wrote to her psychiatrist, Dr. Ralph Greenson, while receiving treatment in New York. In the letter, she described feeling that compassion was absent in her care.
Monroe wrote (per Redbook): “There was no empathy at Payne-Whitney– it had a very bad effect– they asked me after putting me in a ‘cell’ (I mean cement blocks and all) for very disturbed patients (except I felt I was in some kind of prison for a crime I hadn’t committed).”
Her account continued: “I sat on the bed trying to figure if I was given this situation in an acting improvisation what would I do. So I figured, it’s a squeaky wheel that gets the grease.
“I admit it was a loud squeak but I got the idea from a movie I made once called Don’t Bother to Knock. I picked up a light-weight chair and slammed it, and it was hard to do because I had never broken anything in my life– against the glass intentionally.”
She explained that, after repeated banging, she managed to obtain what she described as “a small piece of glass,” hiding it in her hand until staff entered the room.
When they did eventually come into her room, Monroe told them: “If you are going to treat me like a nut I’ll act like a nut.”
She continued to write to Dr. Greeson: “I admit the next thing is corny but I really did it in the movie except it was with a razor blade.
“I indicated if they didn’t let me out I would harm myself–the furthest thing from my mind at that moment since you know, Dr. Greeson, I’m an actress and would never intentionally mark or mar myself. I’m just that vain.”
About a year later, Dr. Greenson discovered Monroe dead at her home.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.