Marliyn Monroe's empty prescription bottle of Nembutal — the drug she overdosed on
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Marilyn Monroe's personally owned and used prescription pill bottle, from the private collection of Marilyn's friend and personal secretary, May Reis. The green glass prescription bottle, written by Dr Ralph Greenson, was filled at the famous Schwab's Pharmacy on Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood. It bears Marilyn's name and the date 5 - 16 -196(?), with the last number tantalisingly missing due to the slightly off-centre label. The prescription was for 200mg of the barbiturate, Nembutal, that Marilyn reportedly took for insomnia. An empty bottle of the same drug was found on her bedside table the night she died on August 4th 1962; her autopsy found extremely high levels of Nembutal and chloral hydrate in her blood and liver. When combined, these two sedatives are especially dangerous and can cause respiratory failure. The Coroner’s conclusion was that her death was most likely a suicide, due to the quantity of drugs in her system and her history of depression and prior overdoses.
Dr. Ralph R. Greenson was a prominent Los Angeles American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who became closely associated with Marilyn Monroe in the final years of her life. He treated a number of celebrities and was a prominent figure in psychoanalysis. Greenson began treating Marilyn around 1960, when she was dealing with severe emotional struggles, insomnia, and dependency on barbiturates. He became one of her main psychiatrists and was reportedly very involved in her daily life, sometimes in ways considered unusually close for a therapist. Accounts suggest he encouraged her to spend time with his family, and she developed a strong attachment to him. On the day Marilyn died, it was Greenson who was called to her home after her housekeeper, Eunice Murray, noticed something was wrong. He reportedly broke into her bedroom window and found her unresponsive; he was the one who officially declared her dead before authorities arrived. Dr Greenson’s role in Monroe’s life and death has been the subject of much speculation and conspiracy theories. Some suggest he may have overprescribed or failed to manage her reliance on barbiturates, with others claiming he knew more about the circumstances of her death than was publicly revealed.
The bottle is accompanied by two letters of provenance. The first from May Reis, typed on her personal letterhead and dated June 10, 1979. The letter states that she personally retrieved the bottle from Marilyn's New York apartment. May Reis worked as Marilyn's secretary for many years and was one of a few individuals mentioned in her last will and testament. The second letter is from Francis Ferruccio, dated March 19, 2025, explaining his relationship with MGM’s legendary chief hairstylist, Sydney Guilaroff. Guilaroff worked on Monroe’s hair for a number of her MGM films and appearances; he was responsible for refining and perfecting her signature platinum blonde style, and also had a reputation for being something of a confidant to stars. The letter says that May Reis gave the bottle to Sydney Guilaroff, who she was good friends with, prior to her death in 1987.
The pill bottle is intertwined with Marilyn's tragic death, and connects two of the key figures in her life during her troubled final days.
Dr. Ralph R. Greenson was a prominent Los Angeles American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who became closely associated with Marilyn Monroe in the final years of her life. He treated a number of celebrities and was a prominent figure in psychoanalysis. Greenson began treating Marilyn around 1960, when she was dealing with severe emotional struggles, insomnia, and dependency on barbiturates. He became one of her main psychiatrists and was reportedly very involved in her daily life, sometimes in ways considered unusually close for a therapist. Accounts suggest he encouraged her to spend time with his family, and she developed a strong attachment to him. On the day Marilyn died, it was Greenson who was called to her home after her housekeeper, Eunice Murray, noticed something was wrong. He reportedly broke into her bedroom window and found her unresponsive; he was the one who officially declared her dead before authorities arrived. Dr Greenson’s role in Monroe’s life and death has been the subject of much speculation and conspiracy theories. Some suggest he may have overprescribed or failed to manage her reliance on barbiturates, with others claiming he knew more about the circumstances of her death than was publicly revealed.
The bottle is accompanied by two letters of provenance. The first from May Reis, typed on her personal letterhead and dated June 10, 1979. The letter states that she personally retrieved the bottle from Marilyn's New York apartment. May Reis worked as Marilyn's secretary for many years and was one of a few individuals mentioned in her last will and testament. The second letter is from Francis Ferruccio, dated March 19, 2025, explaining his relationship with MGM’s legendary chief hairstylist, Sydney Guilaroff. Guilaroff worked on Monroe’s hair for a number of her MGM films and appearances; he was responsible for refining and perfecting her signature platinum blonde style, and also had a reputation for being something of a confidant to stars. The letter says that May Reis gave the bottle to Sydney Guilaroff, who she was good friends with, prior to her death in 1987.
The pill bottle is intertwined with Marilyn's tragic death, and connects two of the key figures in her life during her troubled final days.
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