The headlines were huge and screaming on April 21 this year: Prince, found dead in an elevator in his home.
Cause of death? An opioid overdose.
And before that, there was June 25, 2009. More screaming headlines: Michael Jackson died from an overdose of propofol, which helped him sleep, and anti-anxiety drugs called benzodiazepines.
The headlines from 54 years ago told the same sad tale: film star Marilyn Monroe found dead in her Hollywood home.
The cause? An overdose of prescription drugs.
Her funeral on was this day, Aug. 8, in 1962.
Regular Stateside contributor Dr. Howard Markel joined us to talk about the end of Monroe's life, conspiracy theories, and the use of chloral hydrates in pediatrics.
GUEST Howard Markel is a University of Michigan medical historian and PBS Newshourcontributor
(Subscribe to the Stateside podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or with this RSS link)
