Clark Gable Died of Stroke Days after Saying Marilyn Monroe Nearly Gave Him a Heart Attack
Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe's final film was "The Misfits" in 1961. On the last day of filming, Gable said that he's happy the picture was done.
The legendary actor added that Monroe almost gave him a heart attack, according to IMDb. He was presumably indicating to the actress surprisingly going bare during a room scene.
Gable starred as Gay Langland in the film. Meanwhile, Monroe, who died in August 1962, played the role of Roslyn Taber.
American actor Clark Gable poses for a portrait, circa 1950. | Photo: Getty Images
GABLE'S DEATH
During the filming, a doctor was on call 24 hours a day for both Monroe and actor Montgomery Clift, who starred as Perce Howland, because both were encountering health issues with liquor and medical stimulants.
On November 6, 1960, Gable was sent to Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital, where doctors discovered that he had suffered a heart attack, as reported by Los Angeles Times.
Gable passed away on November 16. The hospital administrator, B.J. Caldwell, said it was believed that another heart attack ended his life.
Actress Marilyn Monroe poses for a portrait, circa 1952. | Photo: Getty Images
THE ACTOR'S WIFE
"He appeared to be doing fine," Caldwell explained. "He was sitting up, then he put his head back on the pillow and that was that."
The actor's wife, Kay, whom he married in 1955, was sleeping over the hall when Gable died. Since her husband was stricken, she had been staying at the hospital. A few hours earlier, the couple had eaten dinner together.
Since his mid-teens, Gable had been a chain smoker.
American actor Montgomery Clift leaning on a fence, circa 1950. | Photo: Getty Images
POOR HEALTH
According to IMDb, Monroe blamed herself for the actor's demise. But it should be noted that when the filming started, Gable was already in poor health.
Since his mid-teens, Gable had been a chain smoker. He had been a heavy drinker as well. Over the past decade, he had endured serious chest torments twice.
Gable, a native of Cadiz, Ohio, was long the undisputed "king" of movieland. He was one of its highest-paid stars, Los Angeles Times reported. He broke into the movies after a fling as a worker in the Texas and Oklahoma oilfields.
His film career incorporated an Oscar-winning performance in "It Happened One Night." His other several films, including "Mutiny on the Bounty" and "Gone With the Wind," earned him huge success.
Clark Gable and wife Kay Spreckels at the premier of "The Spirit of St. Louis" in Los Angeles, California on April 11, 1957. | Photo: Getty Images
Known in Hollywood circles as a "loner," Gable's other notable films were "Too Hot to Handle," "Hell Divers," "The Hucksters," "Strange Interlude," and "Call of the Wild."
Gable's father was William Gable, an oil field worker. His mother, Adeline Hershelman, a farm girl, passed away when he was one year old.