Marilyn Monroe almost died of overdose 6 years before her death, reveals Hollywood fixer who found her unconscious in motel

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Marilyn Monroe came dangerously close to death, six years before her body was found in the bed of her Brentwood home in 1962, with prescription pills all over the place and a phone clutched in her dying hand.

Marilyn Monroe experienced her first overdose in the spring of 1956, which almost took her life. The Daily Mail exclusively disclosed the thrilling tale of the actress's near-death experience in an exciting excerpt from a gripping new biography of a former LA police officer turned Hollywood "fixer" Fred Otash.

Marilyn Monroe's first near-death 'overdose' revealed

A great deal of alarm was raised by the production team of 'Bus Stop' when famous private investigator Otash received disturbing information about Monroe's disappearance from the set.

Producer E Maurice Adler of 'From Here to Eternity' stressed the need to find Monroe immediately since her strange conduct and inexplicable departure were endangering the film's development and viability.

Otash put his investigation skills to use and joined forces with Barney Ruditsky, a private detective famous for his work with Monroe's ex-husband Joe DiMaggio.

After conducting a thorough investigation into travel documents and information, they reportedly found the actress in a run-down Santa Barbara motel, posing as "Pearl Baker".

Ruditsky and Otash were taken aback by a disturbing sight when they found Monroe. The actress reportedly passed out with a heroin addict by her side in a depressing environment.

Monroe was lying in the fetal position on the bed, motionless and nude. The room was littered with syringes, needles, and other drug paraphernalia, Otash said, as per the outlet.

Following Monroe's recovery in a private facility, Otash devised a calculated plan to handle the fallout, which included erasing all evidence of the incident and arranging a cover-up to preserve Monroe's image.

A studio PR responded to questions from the media regarding Monroe's absence by saying that the stunning actress had returned from her last hospital stay due to fatigue and merely required a few more days off.

Maurice Adler lost too much money and time to Marilyn Monroe's capricious ways

Marilyn Monroe had landed a new deal with 20th Century Fox with 'Bus Stop', which would pay her an incredible $100,000 per film (approximately $1.1 million today) over seven years, after a year of talks and legal wrangling.

Her director, cinematographer, and story had all received permission from the studio for such an extraordinary transaction, Radar Online reported. A protracted hospital stay due to "nervous tension" had caused the film to exceed its budget significantly.

Adler had already lost too much time and money as a result of Monroe's unpredictable behavior. Everyone on set could see how much strain was on her. It was imperative for Adler that Otash locate Monroe quickly and return her to the set.

They were halfway through the film, and there was no going back, according to Adler, who said he would have fired Monroe and remade the movie if he could have. Every day she was missing, the studio was losing almost $40,000.

Monroe would frequently have an outburst when it was time to shoot a scene because she was already experiencing severe anxiety.

'Bus Stop' was eventually completed and released in August 1956. For her part in the film, Monroe garnered some of the best reviews of her career, yet at the same time, none of the drama was leaked to the media.

The New York Times stated at the time, "Marilyn Monroe has finally proved herself an actress," in their review of the movie.

After years of drug abuse, Monroe died on August 4, 1962, from acute barbiturate intoxication.