Did Marilyn Monroe Cause Clark Gable’s Death?

The Misfits Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, 1961 — Everett Collection

What To Know

The filming of The Misfits was highly stressful and difficult.
Monroe’s personal struggles and production delays are contributing to a tense environment.

For decades, rumors have swirled that Marilyn Monroe was part of the reason for Clark Gable‘s death. While this appears to be untrue, let’s dig into why this rumor is still being discussed today, over 65 years later. By the time The Misfits was released on February 1, 1961, neither of them would ever appear in another completed film. Gable died before the movie came out, while Monroe died in 1962 at just 36. Because Gable suffered a heart attack only two days after filming wrapped, many wondered: Did Marilyn Monroe somehow cause Clark Gable’s death?

There is no evidence that Monroe caused Gable’s death. Unfortunately, filming The Misfits was an emotionally and physically difficult production, and Gable died soon after it ended. The film starred Gable, Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Eli Wallach and Thelma Ritter, with a screenplay by Monroe’s then-husband, Arthur Miller and direction from John Huston.

Everett Collection

It seemed like a solid production, but behind the scenes, things were falling apart quickly. Monroe’s marriage to Miller was breaking down during filming, and she was struggling with alcohol, prescription drugs, and depression. She was often late to the set, and production stopped for two weeks when she was hospitalized. The cast and crew were also working in punishing Nevada heat, with temperatures reportedly climbing over 100 degrees.

THE MISFITS, from left, director John Huston, Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, during production, autumn 1960

Everett Collection

Filming wrapped on Nov. 4, 1960, and just two days later, Gable suffered a heart attack. On Nov. 16, 1960, he died at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital at age 59. The Los Angeles Times reported at the time that hospital administrator B.J. Caldwell said it was assumed another heart attack took his life. Gable’s widow, Kay Williams, who was pregnant at the time of his death, publicly connected his death to the stress of making The Misfits. A 2018 medical journal article about Gable’s fatal heart attack noted that Williams blamed his death on the stressful filming and the long waits for Monroe. The same article said Monroe was deeply upset by the accusation.

The Misfits became famous partly because of what happened after it. Gable died before its release, and Monroe died in 1962 from a barbiturate overdose. Clift, another co-star in the film, who had struggled after a devastating 1956 car accident, died not long after, in 1966 at 45.