Marilyn Monroe’s Affair With John F. Kennedy (1962)

Wherever there is power, there is controversy, and neither is unfamiliar to the White House. With the most dashing President of the United States in the White House in the early 1960s, it seemed inevitable that Marilyn Monroe, America's most gorgeous actress, would make her way to Washington. Monroe attended a dinner celebration in honor of John F. Kennedy in February 1962. This was not their first rendezvous, and witnesses had noted their flirty behavior during earlier interactions. Kennedy, though, requested her phone number this time. He phoned the following day to welcome her to his Palm Springs, Calif residence; coincidentally, First Lady Jackie might be unavailable.

While the Secret Service attempted to hide proof of their discussions, suspicions about Marilyn Monroe's affair with John F. Kennedy began to circulate after that California weekend. Kennedy was a ladies' man well-known for his extramarital affairs, and other guests noticed that "it was evident that they were close and that they were spending the night together."

However, Marilyn Monroe's affair with John F. Kennedy did not end well. Monroe's difficult background left her mentally and physically fragile, and she allegedly fell considerably more profoundly for Kennedy than the man did for her. His diminished enthusiasm in her corresponded with a succession of other setbacks, and she spiraled into drink and drug addiction. She died of a heroin overdose on August 4, 1962, alone in her house. Her death was deemed a suicide by the coroner.