LA’s ‘Coroner to the Stars’ Reflects on His ‘Near Resignation’ Over the Death of Marilyn Monroe

A new documentary, Coroner to the Stars, profiles Dr. Thomas Noguchi ahead of its June 25 theatrical debut, underscoring sustained interest in landmark forensic inquiries. Dr. Thomas Noguchi, Los Angeles County’s chief medical examiner-coroner from 1967 to 1982, performed autopsies on Marilyn Monroe, Robert Kennedy, Janis Joplin and John Belushi. The film revisits the Marilyn Monroe autopsy debate and other controversies linked to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office. Noguchi told People he initially hesitated about the project, and an interview published Monday, June 15, details recollections of political hearings in 1969 and 1982 and near resignation. Background includes criticism over public comments on the deaths of Natalie Wood and William Holden, and memoir accounts disputing official findings in Monroe’s case.