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

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Will we ever know what truly happened to the gorgeous, Natasha?

Never will I believe she untied a dingy being absolutely terrified of water after almost drowning.

Have to honestly beieve that RJ loved her, but who knows? Just a really weird scene with Walken involved.

Rest in peace my Gypsy. And umm thanks for Dr. Oz on the trail.
 
Gypsy was just on once again on a station my 80 something mom
watches

Not relevant but it will always be my favorite play and film of all times.

Gorgeous, talented, self depricating woman Ms. Wood was with enormous talent.

Just wish I could take my focus of the bracelet.
 
another HBO special coming out...

Where Is Robert Wagner Now, Nearly 40 Years After Natalie Wood's Death?

May 5, 2020 - 8 hours ago

It has been almost 39 years since actress Natalie Wood met her death after drowning off the coast of Catalina Island in California. The West Side Story actress was just 43 years old when she passed away, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding her death have been the subject of much speculation over the years.

Natalie was aboard Splendour, the yacht owned by her husband, actor Robert Wagner. The two were known among their friends and the public for having a somewhat tumultuous relationship.
[.....]
Natalie's life and legacy will be the subject of the HBO documentary, Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind. The documentary was created by Natalie's daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, who has never suspected that her stepfather was responsible for Natalie's death.
 
Niner said:
another HBO special coming out...

Where Is Robert Wagner Now, Nearly 40 Years After Natalie Wood's Death?

May 5, 2020 - 8 hours ago

It has been almost 39 years since actress Natalie Wood met her death after drowning off the coast of Catalina Island in California. The West Side Story actress was just 43 years old when she passed away, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding her death have been the subject of much speculation over the years.

Natalie was aboard Splendour, the yacht owned by her husband, actor Robert Wagner. The two were known among their friends and the public for having a somewhat tumultuous relationship.
[.....]
Natalie's life and legacy will be the subject of the HBO documentary, Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind. The documentary was created by Natalie's daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, who has never suspected that her stepfather was responsible for Natalie's death.
Click to expand...

-----I wonder what her daughter theorized or thought about what happened. Similar situations with so many unanswered questions seem to suggest foul play.
 
Saw a clip of Natasha interviewing daddy.

Who knows? Save for an enormously talented and gorgeous young woman dead and killed by the one thing frightened her to death "drowning".

Rest Easy Pretty One, And Hope You Have The Biggest *advertiser censored** Bracelet on An Angel Can Acquire.
 
BEWARE: These 50 Strangest Unsolved Mysteries of All Time Are Seriously Spooky!

18. The Mysterious Drowning of Natalie Wood

On November 29, 1981, around 7:30 am, actress Natalie Wood’s body was found floating face down in the Pacific Ocean about 200 yards away from Catalina Island’s Blue Cavern Point. She was wearing only a flannel nightgown, blue wool socks, and a red down jacket. Natalie Wood was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars up until the time of her death with roles that included Miracle on 34th Street and West Side Story. Eerily, Natalie Wood’s mother had given the fear of dark water to her daughter because a fortune teller had prophesied that she would die of drowning. As a child, it was reported that her fear of water was so great she was even afraid to wash her hair and recurring nightmares about drowning.

Wood had been working on the film Brainstorm at the time along with actor Christopher Walken and was invited to join her and her husband, Robert Wagner on their yacht named the Splendor. According to the Captain and family friend, Dennis Davern, Wood had become infatuated with Walken during filming and Wagner had flown to the movie set to “make sure he wasn’t making a fool of himself over this.” The group left on the boat around 12 in the afternoon on November 27.

Everyone on the boat, including the Captain had been drinking for much of the weekend. On that Friday night, Wood and Wagner had argued to the point where Davern became concerned and asked Walken to get involved. Walken refused to intervene and is quoted saying “never get involved in an argument between a man and his wife.” Davern ended up taking Wood to shore that night using the ship’s dinghy, the Prince Valiant and they slept at a hotel in Avalon. The next morning, they returned to the yacht and Wood agreed to spend the rest of the weekend onboard.

That afternoon, Wood and Walken went to shore to begin drinking at Doug’s Harbor Reef and Saloon. They had much to drink and their waitress reported Wood not eating much of her dinner and stumbling out of the restaurant when they were done. Walken and Wood boarded the dingy and went back to the yacht around 10 pm. A witness from the Harbor Patrol said they heard Wood scream about something but they brushed it off because she was intoxicated.

Witnesses from a nearby boat claimed they heard shouts around midnight. However, there was a party going on nearby so they thought it was from the party and didn’t intervene. One of the witnesses, John Payne, said he heard a woman scream “Help me! Someone help me!” coming from the stern of the Splendor and potentially from a dingy. He then thought he heard a man’s voice say “Okay Honey, we’ll get you” but the tone was so mocking which is why he thought the cries were associated with the party.

According to Wagner, there was a non-violent argument that broke out between him and Walken over politics. Wood wasn’t involved and quickly became bored and assumedly went to bed. However, Wagner didn’t realize she was missing until he went to go kiss her goodnight around 1:30. The Coast Guard was alerted and Wood was found floating 6 hours later about a mile away from the yacht with the dingy not too far from her. Los Angeles County coroner Thomas Noguchi ruled the cause of her death to be accidental drowning and hypothermia. According to Noguchi, Wood had been drinking and she may have slipped while trying to re-board the dinghy. Wood’s sister Lana expressed doubts, alleging that Wood could not swim and had been terrified of water all her life and that she would never have left the yacht on her own by dinghy. To this day, her death remains a mystery.
 
I thought this article was of interest :

Natalie Wood death: Investigator calls new witnesses "very credible"


But after the press conference reopening the case, investigators got a huge break.
Two new witnesses told detectives they not only heard the fight, one of them says she saw it.

Det. Ralph Hernandez: Saw figures on the back of the Splendour, a male and a female, whose voices they recognized as being Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood arguing in the back of the boat.

Erin Moriarty: And how credible are these new witnesses?
Lt. John Corina: They're very credible. They have no reason to lie. And … their story matches what Dennis Davern says.
Like Davern, both witnesses say the argument stopped suddenly.
 
LietKynes said:
I thought this article was of interest :

Natalie Wood death: Investigator calls new witnesses "very credible"


But after the press conference reopening the case, investigators got a huge break.
Two new witnesses told detectives they not only heard the fight, one of them says she saw it.

Det. Ralph Hernandez: Saw figures on the back of the Splendour, a male and a female, whose voices they recognized as being Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood arguing in the back of the boat.

Erin Moriarty: And how credible are these new witnesses?
Lt. John Corina: They're very credible. They have no reason to lie. And … their story matches what Dennis Davern says.
Like Davern, both witnesses say the argument stopped suddenly.
Click to expand...
Where have these two witnesses been the last 40 years?
 
No Reason to Lie?
LietKynes said:
....Natalie Wood death: .... investigators got a huge break. Two new witnesses told detectives....
Erin Moriarty: And how credible are these new witnesses?
Lt. John Corina: They're very credible. They have no reason to lie.
Click to expand...
@LietKynes Thx for your post w quotes. Not directing this comment to you or to this particular case, or these witnesses. Just speaking generally.

On hearing/reading LEO, prosecutor, reporter say:
This witness has no reason to lie
​
I think of -
- some ppl w no reason to lie, but who do.
- some ppl w no known reason to lie, but who do.

Often I'd like to ask LEO, prosecutor, reporter:
Does witness have a reason to tell the truth?​

my2ct​
 
I think these witnesses have reason to tell the truth. It's not uncommon for witnesses not to come forward earlier, especially if it involves some kind of domestic dispute/homicide. Although this took place on a boat, it was technically a domestic setting. They may have felt it was none of their business at the time or didn't want to believe that Wagner had any involvement in her death. His celebrity is definitely a factor too. These witnesses also corroborate the account of the boat captain, Dennis Davern (Christopher Walken, who spoke to the LASD investigators, also corroborated Davern's account).

Every few years since the case has been re-opened, there is always a new excuse as to why Robert Wagner won't speak to the LASD regarding the investigation. The first was he has "fully cooperated for over 30 years" (how does speaking to the detectives in the 1981 investigation mean you have fully cooperated for 30 years?), the next excuse was "they never tried to contact him", when in fact they have tried to contact him several times. The latest, from about four years ago, is that he has "memory problems". Interestingly, after this, he was interviewed for the documentary by Natalie's daughter. For someone who has memory issues, he sure seemed very strong in mind when talking about Natalie and why he feels no need to cooperate. And, as anyone familiar with dementia and/or Alzheimer's would know, it affects your short-term memory more than anything, hence why many people who suffer from these conditions retreat into the past, which is more real to them than the present.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - he has no reason not to cooperate unless he has something to hide. If he were truly innocent, he would want to help in any way possible and would want it to be resolved.
 
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Also, that edition of Closer magazine, championing Robert Wagner and Jill St. John's "love" - give me a break. Wagner loves to claim that Jill and Natalie were friends as children (the so-called "amazing" connection on the bottom of the cover), but in fact, they simply attended the same ballet class as children (as did Wagner's Hart To Hart co-star, Stefanie Powers), that is literally it.

He also likes to claim that Natalie gave him permission to marry Jill if she predeceased him- I call B.S. He was seen out with her ten weeks after Natalie's death (Valentine's Day, 1982), which he continually denies, insisting that they didn't start seeing each other until six months later, but Jill herself has stated that Valentine's Day is their most sentimental anniversary because it was their first date (or at least their first public date, as I wouldn't be surprised if they were involved before Natalie died). Jill was never a stepmother (or a mother figure in general) to Natalie's daughters, it took them years to warm up to her. Natasha has even stated that Jill was only there for Wagner and that she considers her late father Richard Gregson's wife, Julia, to be her stepmother (she spent summers with them in Wales during her childhood and adolescence, Natalie very much wanted her to have a relationship with her bio dad, despite Wagner's disapproval).

Wagner's jealousy where Natalie was concerned in the "biography" by the late Gavin Lambert (which he sanctioned, and shortly before his death, Lambert confirmed that he was paid by Wagner to write it and that Wagner did indeed have a heavy influence on his writing, despite his denials in the book's forward) and in his autobiography is evident. Not just him feeling threatened by other men, but because she was a better actor than he was. The fact that her career was on the rise during their first marriage and his was going downhill was only part of the reason they divorced. There was infidelity involved, but it was not on Natalie's part. (If you're not aware of what I'm referring to and would like to know more, feel free to send me a private message).

Another reason why I suspect that Wagner and St. John may have been involved before Natalie died is that Wagner was accusing her of cheating, and it's not uncommon for the unfaithful spouse to project that onto the other. In a drunken rage, he tried to throw himself out of a hotel room in Hawaii when Natalie was filming the miniseries From Here To Eternity (1979) because he was jealous of her co-star William Devane, over their love scenes. Love scenes! Come on, those scenes are hardly romantic and are extremely technical, and Natalie and Wagner had both been in the business for years! It's also possible that Natalie was contemplating divorce at the time of her passing, her wanting to go back to work on a full-time basis and Wagner feeling threatened by that would likely have been a factor. The fact that she had spent the previous night at a hotel after arguing with him is very telling.
 
Noirdame79 said:
Also, that edition of Closer magazine, championing Robert Wagner and Jill St. John's "love" - give me a break. Wagner loves to claim that Jill and Natalie were friends as children (the so-called "amazing" connection on the bottom of the cover), but in fact, they simply attended the same ballet class as children (as did Wagner's Hart To Hart co-star, Stefanie Powers), that is literally it.

He also likes to claim that Natalie gave him permission to marry Jill if she predeceased him- I call B.S. He was seen out with her ten weeks after Natalie's death (Valentine's Day, 1982), which he continually denies, insisting that they didn't start seeing each other until six months later, but Jill herself has stated that Valentine's Day is their most sentimental anniversary because it was their first date (or at least their first public date, as I wouldn't be surprised if they were involved before Natalie died). Jill was never a stepmother (or a mother figure in general) to Natalie's daughters, it took them years to warm up to her. Natasha has even stated that Jill was only there for Wagner and that she considers her late father Richard Gregson's wife, Julia, to be her stepmother (she spent summers with them in Wales during her childhood and adolescence, Natalie very much wanted her to have a relationship with her bio dad, despite Wagner's disapproval).

Wagner's jealousy where Natalie was concerned in the "biography" by the late Gavin Lambert (which he sanctioned, and shortly before his death, Lambert confirmed that he was paid by Wagner to write it and that Wagner did indeed have a heavy influence on his writing, despite his denials in the book's forward) and in his autobiography is evident. Not just him feeling threatened by other men, but because she was a better actor than he was. The fact that her career was on the rise during their first marriage and his was going downhill was only part of the reason they divorced. There was infidelity involved, but it was not on Natalie's part. (If you're not aware of what I'm referring to and would like to know more, feel free to send me a private message).

Another reason why I suspect that Wagner and St. John may have been involved before Natalie died is that Wagner was accusing her of cheating, and it's not uncommon for the unfaithful spouse to project that onto the other. In a drunken rage, he tried to throw himself out of a hotel room in Hawaii when Natalie was filming the miniseries From Here To Eternity (1979) because he was jealous of her co-star William Devane, over their love scenes. Love scenes! Come on, those scenes are hardly romantic and are extremely technical, and Natalie and Wagner had both been in the business for years! It's also possible that Natalie was contemplating divorce at the time of her passing, her wanting to go back to work on a full-time basis and Wagner feeling threatened by that would likely have been a factor. The fact that she had spent the previous night at a hotel after arguing with him is very telling.
Click to expand...

I agree about JSJ & RW being (fill in the blanks) before Natalie’s death.
Jill is no where even close to the stunning beauty of Natalie .
NW had an aura about her. Unique. Unforgettable.
My guess is -said person- wanted & walked right into the roll as the new Mrs.
And that stupid , stupid smile on both their faces like nothing ever happened. For years they search out, pose for the cameras. Ugh.
It’s not a Hollywood story ....it’s a Crime story!
Sick!

MOO
 
BeachSky said:
I agree about JSJ & RW being (fill in the blanks) before Natalie’s death.
Jill is no where even close to the stunning beauty of Natalie .
NW had an aura about her. Unique. Unforgettable.
My guess is -said person- wanted & walked right into the roll as the new Mrs.
And that stupid , stupid smile on both their faces like nothing ever happened. For years they search out, pose for the cameras. Ugh.
It’s not a Hollywood story ....it’s a Crime story!
Sick!

MOO
Click to expand...

I agree 100%. Wagner needs to be held accountable. He's more concerned about what the public thinks of him (and god forbid anyone think that he's bisexual) than what happened to Natalie, his wife, the mother of his children - than anything. It was so nauseating that he refers to Jill St. John by the nickname "Magic" and how she "helped" him move on and raise the girls. What crap! She doesn't have a maternal bone in her body, IMO. Lana Wood has stated that Natalie was never friends with Jill, and even if she was, I highly doubt she would have told Wagner to marry St. John if anything ever happened to her. Complete and utter B.S.!

It's also appalling that Kirk Douglas got away with what he did to Natalie. I was never a fan of him but in doing my research, I've come to the conclusion that he was, at the very least, a predator in his younger days. Even his first autobiography doesn't shy away from him engaging in inappropriate contact with young girls and how he took his anger out on women. Wagner has never addressed this, but that doesn't surprise me since he clearly does not care about Natalie at all (he and Gavin Lambert made a point of putting Natalie down, even claiming that her liver was compromised due to heavy drinking and drug use, while her autopsy showed that she had a healthy liver), anything to blame her for her own death and shift suspicion from Wagner. That is not how a loving and grieving husband/widower behaves and speaks about his deceased wife. And he certainly would not have delayed calling the Coast Guard or say that she was the kind of woman who would leave a boat in the middle of the night (wearing a nightgown, no less) to party on another boat. Wagner knew Natalie was terrified of dark water and was not a swimmer, he knew this for years (she spent a lot of time on boats during both her marriages to him to accommodate his love for boating and sailing)
 
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I haven’t looked into this case for some time and just saw that her husband Robert Wagner was cleared in her death. Anybody know how he was cleared?
 
Lwieckowicz said:
I haven’t looked into this case for some time and just saw that her husband Robert Wagner was cleared in her death. Anybody know how he was cleared?
Click to expand...
I had a really had time finding a reputable MSM link....he was cleared last spring when the last remaining detective on the case retired. Around the same time the Sheriff's Dept gave an interview clearing him.

Natalie Wood: Watch the star in hidden gem 'The Green Promise'
Wagner was declared a person of interest in Natalie Wood’s death in 2018, but the sheriff's department has since cleared the actor.

pagesix.com

Robert Wagner cleared as Natalie Wood case goes cold

“All leads in the Natalie Wood case have been exhausted, and the case remains an open, unsolved case,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
pagesix.com pagesix.com
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has cleared Robert Wagner in its investigation into the death of his late wife Natalie Wood.

“All leads in the Natalie Wood case have been exhausted, and the case remains an open, unsolved case,” Lt. Hugo Reynaga told Page Six Friday.
 
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