Marilyn Monroe was one of the most famous actresses in the world when she died alone in her bedroom on August 4, 1962, aged just 36.
Born Norma Jean Montenson in 1926, the silver screen icon had a tough start in life.
She had been placed in a the care of her mother Gladys' friend, Grace McKee, when Gladys had a breakdown and spent time mental institutions following an abusive relationship prior to meeting Marilyn's father, whose identity was never publicly revealed.
But she was also moved around various foster homes, where she was sexually abused, and when Grace's husband got a job that required them to move, Marilyn faced being left at an orphanage.
This prompted her decision to marry for the first time, aged just 16, to factory worker James Dougherty.
James was nine years older than Marilyn and, becoming a housewife for the first time, Marilyn admitted she was "dying of boredom".
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Marilyn was painfully shy and battled a stammer, but discovered a passion for acting, though it would take hard work and several years for her career to take off.
It was James' disapproval of her modelling and acting career that led to their split in 1946, after just four years of marriage.
By the 1950s, Marilyn was a Hollywood starlet, one of the first 'it girls' to exist with a number of hit films to her name.
But she garnered a reputation for being difficult to work with, often late or not showing up at all, failing to recall lines and demanding re-takes until she was satisfied.
However, biographer Sarah Churchwell claimed her behaviour was a result of sexism and condescension of her male co-stars, while another biographer, Lois Banner, said Marilyn had been bullied by her directors.
While Marilyn enjoyed decades of Hollywood success, she had less luck with marriages.
She married baseball star Joe DiMaggio in 1954, but he was said to be very jealous and didn't deal with her fame well - especially after her famous scene from The Seven Year Itch, where Marilyn's skirt billows up when she stands over a subway grate.
This caused their relationship sour and the marriage lasted just one year.
She then married playwright Arthur Miller in 1956 and their match was dubbed "the most unlikely marriage since the Owl and the Pussycat".
According to Marilyn's biography, she stumbled upon a letter he allegedly intended her to find, which claimed he was 'embarrassed" and "ashamed" to be married to her.
This ultimately contributed to their 1961 divorce.
The following year, Marilyn was found dead in her bed at home, seemingly having taken her own life after years of mental health battles and issues with substance abuse.
She was discovered in the early hours of the morning by her housekeeper, Eunice Murray, who said she had "sensed something was wrong".
It was initially estimated she had died around five hours before her body was found and an inquest recorded her cause of death as probable suicide.
In the months leading up to her death, Marilyn had been besieged by problems, including the heartbreak of her recent divorce.
Despite her huge success throughout the 1950s, Marilyn's final two films - Let's Make Love and The Misfits - were both critical and commercial failures.
She was plagued by addiction to drugs and alcohol and had battled depressed for many years.
During the filming of her final film, The Misfits, she had to spend a week detoxing in hospital.
Marilyn had started filming for Something's Got To Give at the start of 1962 but was later fired after taking time off, claiming she was ill.
The day she died, Marilyn signed for deliveries as usual and she had an argument with her publicist, Patricia Newcomb, who said the actress hadn't slept well the night before.
Ralph Greenson, the Some Like It Hot star's psychiatrist, had arrived at her home for a therapy session and was worried enough to ask her housekeeper to stay overnight.
The final known conversation Marilyn had was with fellow actor, Peter Lawson, who tried to persuade her to come to a party at his house.
He became worried as he suspected she had taken drugs. Her final words to him were "say goodbye to Pat, say goodbye to the president (Lawford's brother-in-law), and say goodbye to yourself, because you're a nice guy" before she drifted off.
Fearful something was very wrong, Lawson tried to call Dr Greenson. When he couldn't reach him, he tried Marilyn's lawyer, Milton Rudin.
The lawyer called Marilyn's home where Eunice assured him the star was fine.
But she got up at 3:30am the following morning as she was concerned about her boss, and quickly noticed the bedroom door was locked, with the phone cord running underneath with the light on.
Frantic, she contacted Dr Greenson, who told her to go outside and look in through the window - there, she saw the star's naked body, lying face down on the bed.
Dr Greenson arrived and broke a window to get to the star but says she was already dead.
He called her doctor, Hyman Engelberg, who arrived just before 4am and confirmed Marilyn had passed away.
Conspiracy theories surrounding Marilyn's death, including suggestions then-president John F Kennedy was involved, never went away, despite repeated denials.
It's widely believed that Marilyn had dalliances with JFK and is thought to have also been involved with his brother, the then Attorney General, Robert.
Less than three months before her death, Marilyn's legendary rendition of Happy Birthday for JFK was performed at Madison Square Gardens.
Chillingly, the Gentlemen Prefer Blondes star had previously discussed suicide with a friend, Jeanne Carmen.
A report claims Marilyn told her fellow actress that if she was going to take her own life she would "would dress in a white nightgown, take an overdose of pills and go to bed"
She added: "The sheets and spread would be white and she would have her hair and makeup done.
"A friend would be informed of the suicide to make sure that after her death she was neatly positioned and the bedroom was in order."
But instead, Marilyn was found naked, wearing no make-up and with her hair a mess.
In the aftermath of her death, it was also claimed that Robert Kennedy had visited Marilyn at home on August 4, something he always denied.
And her psychiatrist, Dr Greenslade, also claimed when he found Marilyn's body she had a phone, which was "clutched fiercely in her right hand".
Thad Brown, the Los Angeles chief of detectives, is also reported to have told the US Treasury's assistant chief of intelligence in Los Angeles had found a crumpled piece of paper amidst Marilyn's sheets.
On it was a number for the White House.
Thad's aide said: "It was determined that she had called John Kennedy just before she died."
However, at the time of Marilyn's death, the president wasn't in the White House, and had been enjoying a break at Cape Cod.
There are also reports of a phone call at just after 9am the following morning from JFK's brother-in-law and the last man known to have spoken to Marilyn, Peter Lawson.
But her death was classified a probable suicide, and tragically led to a reported doubling in the suicide rate in LA that month.
It was Marilyn's second husband, Joe, who organised her funeral, in which the Hollywood elite were snubbed and just her 30 closest friends present - with her last husband, Arthur, notably absent.
In a tender final tribute, Joe would organise for a bouquet of red roses to be placed at her grave in LA, three times a week, for the next 20 years.
*If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
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