But when I saw this imaginary Reddit image of an 82 year old Marilyn Monroe, I almost said to myself “gee, there’s something to be said for dying at age 36.”
I don’t really mean that. If she’d only hung on and lasted into the Bonnie and Clyde era and beyond, Monroe could have had a great second act and perhaps even a great third or fourth. Her spirit would’ve been ignited by the mid to late ‘60s. She would have loved the Beatles and the Stones…all of that. She would’ve been levitated by Rubber Soul and Revolver. She might’ve attended that ‘65 acid trip party with John Lennon, and when Peter Fonda sauntered over and said “I know what it’s like to be dead,” she might’ve said “Peter, stop it…just open your heart and be happy.” She might even have fit right in with Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters. She would’ve adorned the cover of Ms. magazine in the early ‘70s.
