Remembering Marilyn Monroe - 50 Years Without Marilyn [VIDEO]

August 5 marked the 50^th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's death - an American actress, model, and singer who became a renowned sex symbol and icon during the heyday of 1950s-1960s Hollywood.

Monroe was ranked as the sixth greatest female star of all time by the American Film Institute, starring in hit films including "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953), "Bus Stop" (1956), and "Some Like it Hot" (1959). Monroe made a name for herself in the celebrity world as the pretty, bubbly, blonde who couldn't give a care in the world as long as she had a man by her side and a nice wardrobe to carry her along on entertaining escapades. Even 50 years following her death, Monroe's impact on pop culture is as profound as ever - rare and unseen photos of the blonde bombshell just days before her death keep popping up on the web like buried treasure, and the media and fans remain clung to a lost hope that such pictures may expose the mysteries and sorrow surrounding her personal life and death.

Monroe singing "Happy Birthday Mr. President" (1962)

Because underneath that glamorous exterior existed a woman with much profounder hopes and dreams, who fell victim to illness and personal anxiety as people began to repeatedly conform her to smothering female roles and stereotypes. Even today there are specific moments that Monroe is most remembered for - that sexy picture of her white dress flying up over her thighs during a shoot for 1955's "The Seven Year Itch," her sultry rendition of "Happy Birthday Mr. President" for John F. Kennedy's 45^th birthday. But Monroe wanted more out of life - she wished to refocus her acting and singing career in a more serious direction, where her own ideas and thoughts would be considered and executed. But it was too late, her role as America's sweetheart and sex icon were already set. And now Hollywood will never know the oppressed talent which lay beneath those blonde curls and skintight dress.

Circumstances surrounding Monroe's death - just as the conditions surrounding her true heart and mind - still remain unclear. Monroe, 36, was found dead at her L.A. home on August 5, 1962 and her death was ruled as a "probable suicide" by "acute barbiturate poisoning." But some people even today insist that conspiracy was involved, including accusations of murderer. The one certain truth is that Hollywood and America were prematurely robbed of a young actress and songstress who still had a lot to offer in the entertainment world.

Monroe was interred in a crypt at Corridor of Memories #24, at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Monroe singing "I Wanna be Loved by You" in "Some Like it Hot" (1959).