What can we say about dear Norma Jeane that hasn’t already been said? Or sung — here’s looking at you, Elton John. She overcame a difficult childhood, which saw her placed in 11 foster homes, to become the world’s biggest and most enduring sex symbol, only to die of a drug overdose on 5 August 1962, at only 36. Her early departure ensured her life would be shrouded in infamy and myth. Did she really get her start in porn? Was her suicide faked by John F Kennedy to cover up their affair? Was she actually a smart cookie acting the role of dumb blonde? We might never know, but that won’t stop millions making the pilgrimage to LA every year to retrace her footsteps.
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