CA - Natalie Wood, 43, drowned off California coast, 29 Nov 1981

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MarleneM said:
Her fear of water is what always stuck with me about Natalie's death. I found the quote that I had ingrained in my memory many years ago:

"I'm frightened to death of the water,'' Natalie Wood once said. ''I can swim a little bit, but I'm afraid of water that is dark.'' The 43-year-old actress' fear was tragically justified on Nov. 29, 1981, when her body was discovered floating in a cove at Catalina Island, Calif.

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,312482,00.html
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I always found her death controversial yet I cannot see Wagner killing her. I do agree with the above quote as she did fear the water so that has to be taken into consideration. Also, at this juncture, an investigation may not lead to an arrest. I don't think Chris did it either. This is just my gut speaking. I feel she was drunk and just may have had an accident even if it looked like it was more.

She was a beautiful, and talented actress. My mom reminded me of her when she was young.

Gozgals
 
Lola said:
Although this article is over a year ago, it seems to me if either Walken or Wagner was involved, and knew what happened they would have come forward.

‘Angry, jealous’ star tells of night Natalie Wood died
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Reading this article it really does seem like a tragic accident. Sometimes I think many are quick to jump on the non-accidental death bandwagon because we're jaded in some way, with so much crime around. Then again though, I don't know if many thought OJ was capable of killing either. I guess I'm on the fence.
 
Oh, come on, folks. Natalie Wood's death was ruled as accidental by Medical Examiner Thomas Noguci. I too read his excellent book when it came out way back when. He was the Los Angeles county pathologist who performed autopsies in many famous deaths including Natalie and Marilyn Monroe, as I recall.
He went into great detail about how Ms. Wood probably lived for some time, clinging to the dinghy she was attempting to stop from banging against the side of the boat. But her blood alcohol level was quite high and she did have a down vest on over top of her nightgown, which got water logged and undoubtedly weighed her down.
The investigation into her death was quite thorough, with experts determining where their yacht, the "Splendor" I think it was, was anchored, what the tides were that night and how the tides would have carried her clinging to the dinghy. And her body was found exactly where the tide studies showed it would be.

A sad, sad drinking-related death, according to the M.E. Noguci.
 
actually, IIRC, trying to stop the dingy from banging into the yacht was noguchi's first theory until his investigator changed his mind: that natalie (1) fell while attempting to board the dinghy or (2) after untying the rope b/w the dinghy and the yacht while still aboard the Splendour, she lost the rope and was trying to reach for the dinghy as the wind/tide moved it away from the yacht and she lost her balance.

now, where's the book? :waitasec:

page 39:

forensic evidence, such as the fingernail scratches on the side of the dingy, the brush-type abrasion on her cheek (noguchi states this was caused by her falling into the ocean and striking her face - page 27), and the untouched algae on the swim step (of the yacht), seemed to indicate that she was trying to board the dinghy, not just adjust it's rope, when the accident happened.


*have to say i don't get how the abrasion on her face lends itself to the climbing aboard the dinghy theory instead of the adjusting the rope theory... can anyone add some insight? the other two pieces of evidence -the fingernail scratches on the dinghy and the untouched algae on the swim step- do indicate to me that she wanted the dinghy not the yacht at the time...
 
Redhead: Thanks for that refresher. Wow, I am impressed - you had that book on your shelf!

He did rule it an alcohol-related accident, right?
 
AlwaysShocked said:
Redhead: Thanks for that refresher. Wow, I am impressed - you had that book on your shelf!

He did rule it an alcohol-related accident, right?
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you're welcome!! :)

actually, i had that book on the bookshelf right beside my computer desk LOL

(in a pile of "cause of death" books, forensics books and true crime books... i was a criminology major and i kept them close LOL)

noguchi's COD: accidental downing (as a result of the heavy jacket specifically)... with "intoxication... one of the factors involved in the fact she was unable to respond well to the emergency after she was in water" (p. 31). he believes she would have known to take off the heavy jacket if less intoxicated. he also says he tried to "soft pedal" (aka tone down) the fact that alcohol played a part in her death b/c he didn't want the criticism he'd seen/experienced when other celebs had been reported as dying from drugs/alcohol.

also, noguchi states that both he and the police did not suspect foul play but by nightfall that sunday "hollywood was alive with rumors" (p. 24).

any other questions - let me know!!
 
The star's drowning death is one of Hollywood's most enduring mysteries. Although the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office ruled that Wood's death was an accident, and the sheriff says the case is closed, others say there are pieces of the puzzle that don't make sense.

The actress' sister, Lana Wood, and the captain of the yacht Natalie Wood sailed with her husband, actor Robert Wagner, are asking the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office to re-open the case. So far, authorities have not responded to the request.




(more @ link)

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/03/08/grace.coldcase.natalie.wood/index.html
 
IMO, Lana is looking for fame and fortune again. She hadn't acted for years and finally started doing bit parts again.

According to IMDB trivia, she's estranged from her sister's children and her family was PO'd when she wrote her "memoirs" about Natalie.

Robert Wagner is a great and well known actor... I think she's trying to ride his tail back to fame herself.
 
I have always thought that there was something hinky about Natalie's death. I am undoubtful, however, that the case will be re-opened going on 30 years after her death.
 
I have always thought the drinking and fighting led to her drowning. She either tried to take off in the dinghy in anger, or somehow fell in. Taking off in the dinghy might be something an intoxicated water-phobe might do - if angry and feeling "dramatic" enough, if that makes sense. I always loved both of them and don't think RJ would have killed her intentionally. But it has always seemed clear there was fighting and overindulgence and that combo can be dangerous, especially on a boat.

Eve
 
Natalie Wood was always one of my favorite actresses, and I remember hearing about her death. I, too, always thought it seemed a bit suspicious, but it was ruled an accident.

That said, to read that Robert Wagner hung around Warren Beatty's house with a gun hoping to shoot him sure doesn't speak well of Wagner. And then to hear he smashed a bottle on the table on the boat, Splendor because he was jealous of Christopher Walken on the night Natalie perished, gives me pause to wonder.

If Natalie was trying to launch the dingy, then I have to ask, what was happening on that boat that was so bad she was hoping to escape? It may have really been an accident, but I think Robert Wagner may have driven her to want to escape. By his own admission, he had a real problem controlling his temper.
 
I remember when she died. I had just turned sixteen, and the week-end before I had watched 'Splendor in the Grass' for what must have been the kazillionth time. It is still one of my favorite movies. I remember being absolutely shocked by her death.
 
believe09 said:
I cannot imagine Wagner killing her...Christopher Walken however....creepy dude.
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While the creepy persona that follows him is undeniable, thanks to the many dark roles he has played in his career, in reality he is not creepy at all... I have followed his career for years and was lucky enough to have encountered him in-person, last week: he is a very nice guy. It is true that he keeps quiet about Natalie... but that goes along with how he lives his life: he keeps his life quiet and well away from the spotlight of Hollywood. (He doesn't live in Hollywood and never fell into the Hollywood lifestyle of putting his personal life and face out there. He loves working, and when he isn't off shooting a movie or doing a play, he's a homebody that prefers his house in the country (in the northeast), with his cats, and wife of 35+ years.)
 
Natalie Wood’s family have a right to know what really happened. I have not at all had a good feeling about Robert Wagner.:twocents::twocents:
 
Yes, I think the combo of drinking and the fight led her to do something she wouldn't have normally. However, when I first learned about it, I immediately thought Wagner did her in. Of course, I was like 18 and suspicious!

ELPHALBA, I totally agree with you about Christopher Walken. He is one of my favorite actors of all time! In fact, I'm going to Manhattan for the first time and want to hit a Broadway show. I didn't want to see all the usual ones i.e. Phantom of the Opera, Lion King, West Side Story, etc. So, after doing a little research I found one called, "The Behanding in Spokane". The title made me curious and I'm glad I looked it up! Christopher Walken is in it and I got the best seats I could find! My sister was like, "He's so creepy and weird." to which I replied nearly exactly as you did. Also, he loves to DANCE!
 
Lana has always wanted to make this more than an accident. Unfortunately when people drink and are near water sometimes they fall in. Just look at that executive in New Orleans. If there wasn't video showing him drunk and alone I am sure everyone would be claiming foul play and someone pushed him.
 
I thought she was so beautiful. I was hurt when I learned of her death. I have always suspected Robert. Isn't it normal to suspect the spouse.
 
I didn't know about the finger nail scratches on the dinghy. That's really weird for a movie star to mess up her nails trying to grab onto some boat, drunk as a skunk or not. She was a wealthy star, why didn't she try to rouse the captain, her employee, and have him take her to shore? If it were just some case between unknown people on here, I'd automatically think a drunk husband might have been trying to order his wife off of the boat and forced her over into the dinghy. Maybe the fingernail marks were terror of going into the water on a tiny boat. Not saying he did it, but nice men don't smash bottles, accuse people secluded out on water of cheating, or lay in wait hoping to shoot someone.
 
As smart blonde stated, I too still remember her death. She was beautiful. Sorry this case, (as I see it as one) was not solved.

She looked like my mom when they were both young.

Gozgals
 
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