Actress Natalie Wood’s death off the coast of an Island in November 1981 has long fascinated Hollywood conspiracy theorists and amateur sleuths. The cause of her drowning was ruled accidental, but there are several mysteries surrounding the incident.
One mystery is why it took so long to call the Coast Guard. Another involves fresh bruises found on her body. Keep reading the article below to learn more about Natalie Wood Death.
The story of Natalie Wood’s death in 1981 has become one of Hollywood’s most enduring mysteries. The official cause of her death was accidental drowning, but the case has been reopened numerous times over the years. Many questions remain about the incident, including how she ended up in the water and why her body had bruises on it.
Natalie Wood was a beloved actress known for her beauty, talent and intelligence. She starred in films such as Rebel Without a Cause and West Side Story. However, her private life was a mess. She was abused by directors and studio executives, and she often felt isolated as she kept to herself. She also suffered from numerous psychological problems, including daily psychoanalysis and a fear of being alone in the dark.
On the night of her death, Wood, Wagner, and Walken went to a restaurant on Catalina Island for dinner. It was reported that they were all drunk at the time of her disappearance. It was then that they decided to go back to their yacht, the Splendour, via a small dinghy.
When they arrived at their boat, they noticed that Wood was missing. It wasn’t until the following morning that authorities found her body floating in the ocean near their dinghy.
At first, police assumed that Wood slipped into the water while trying to board the dinghy and died. But the medical examiner changed her cause of death in 2011 to “drowning and other undetermined factors.” The change came after fresh bruises were discovered on her arms and knee, which investigators thought may have been sustained before she died.
Another red flag was the four-hour wait before someone called for help. It is believed that the couple argued before she fell into the water, but the reason for the argument has never been revealed.
In recent years, Natalie Wood’s former husband, Robert Wagner, has claimed that he is responsible for her death. In his book, Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour, he says that he heard the pair fight on the night of her death. He claims that he withheld the information from investigators in 1981 because he was afraid of being blackmailed by them.
Suspected Suspect
The Hollywood mystery surrounding the death of actress Natalie Wood was never quite resolved. The 43-year-old actress, who starred in such classic films as Miracle on 34th Street, Rebel Without a Cause and West Side Story, was found floating in the ocean waters off California’s Catalina Island on November 29, 1981. Her body was discovered wearing a nightgown and down jacket. At the time, police classified her death as an accident.
Investigators have reopened the case several times, but they have been unable to determine what happened to the star. One of the reasons why is because there are conflicting accounts from those on board her yacht. On the night of her death, Wood was traveling on her husband’s 60-foot yacht Splendour with fellow actor Christopher Walken and her Brainstorm co-star, captain Dennis Davern. They had all been drinking heavily.
The evening before her death, the three actors had reportedly been having a heated argument over the closeness of Walken and Wagner. According to investigators, they may have even broken a bottle over the dispute. After their argument, investigators believe the three men left the boat to go shopping on Catalina’s main island. When they returned, they noticed Wood was missing from the yacht. Eventually, her body was found in the water wearing only a nightgown and down jacket.
Over the years, rumors have swirled about what really happened to the actress. Some people have suggested that she was raped by a man more than twice her age. Others have claimed that she was murdered by her husband.
In 2011, detectives reopened the case after Davern’s book claimed that he heard the couple fighting shortly before their deaths. Investigators also noted that the bruises on Wood’s body looked fresh, suggesting that she had been assaulted.
However, the investigation stalled when it became clear that both Wagner and Walken wouldn’t cooperate with authorities. In 2018, investigators named Wagner a person of interest in the case, but he has refused to speak with investigators. Unless foul play is determined, it could spell trouble for the former actor since California law forbids those who participate in a murder from profiting from their victim’s estate.
Reopening the Case
For decades, Wood’s loved ones have hoped that a new investigation would reveal foul play in her death. But the Los Angeles County sheriff’s department has never released a significant break in the case, which remains a mystery. In recent weeks, however, investigators have reopened the case after a tip from a person who says they have information to share with detectives.
In November of 1981, the actress was sailing on her husband’s yacht Splendour with her co-stars Robert Wagner and Christopher Walken. She had been drinking and arguing with Wagner, who was jealous of her relationship with Walken. Eventually, she went to bed. When Wagner returned to join her, he noticed that she was gone. His first thought was that she had slipped into the dinghy and drowned.
The Los Angeles coroner later ruled that it was an accident and that she probably slipped and struck her head as she attempted to enter the dinghy. Bruises on her cheek were consistent with that explanation, the coroner said. In addition, witnesses on other boats heard no cries for help and the weather was cold and rainy at the time of her death.
But rumors of foul play have persisted. In 2010, Natalie Wood’s sister Lana and Dennis Davern, the captain of Splendour at the time, called for a reopening of the investigation. Both believe that Wagner had something to do with her death and have accused him of covering up the truth.
Davern told CNN in 2010 that he believes the original sheriff’s investigation of the case was incompetent and that there was a cover-up. He also admitted that he gave up details about the night of Wood’s death to Wagner in exchange for his silence, which he now regrets.
Final Words
After a series of interviews with Wood’s friends, colleagues and family, co-director Laurent Bouzereau introduces the elephant in the room. Dennis Davern, who captained the yacht Wood and Wagner used for their Thanksgiving boat trip to Catalina Island, had told multiple people he was at fault in her death, including in a book he co-authored years later. During the initial investigation, he claimed Wood fell from the back of The Splendour after arguing with her Brainstorm costar Christopher Walken.
It’s a theory that was never proven, and one that the L.A. County sheriff’s office and the CBS News investigation ruled out at the time, but it’s one that has been brought up again and again in the decades since Wood’s death. It’s also a theory that the film may have pushed to present as a viable explanation for her death.
As much as a movie about a mysterious Hollywood boat tragedy, Natalie Wood Death is also a story about the life of a beloved actress whose career and offscreen relationships were dotted with ups and downs. From her childhood in the movies to her last days, viewers get a glimpse at a woman who knew how to live and to love – even if those loves were often short-lived.
Ultimately, the big message that Natalie Wood Death imparts is that extreme grief and sorrow can be overcome with therapy, friendships and the passage of time – no matter what happened on that fateful boat trip that ended in such an unfathomable way. But, of course, it’s also a reminder that fame and money can hide a lot of things, and not always in the best way.
For fans of the beloved actress and her movies (Rebel Without a Cause, Splendor in the Grass and West Side Story among them), this documentary is well worth seeing. The archival footage is beautiful, and hearing from the many friends and family members who loved her makes for an extremely touching film. It’s not the typical Hollywood whodunit, but it is a fascinating and moving documentary that proves just how much a larger-than-life icon Natalie Wood truly was.