What really happened on the yacht with Robert Wagner and Christopher Walken?
The death of Hollywood star Natalie Wood has long been the subject of bitter conspiracies. In a surprising move, after nine months of investigation, today the Los Angeles County Chief Medical Examiner has stricken the word "accidental" from Wood's death certificate, and ruled her cause of death as "drowning and other undetermined factors." It's a small move, but for many, it is a move in the right direction.
Some of the facts are clear. On November 28, 1981, Natalie Wood boarded a boat along with her husband Robert Wagner, Christopher Walken and the captain of the boat. They were celebrating the end of filming the movie "Brainstorm," which starred Wood and Walken. All three of them reportedly got quite drunk at a restaurant before heading out on Wood's yacht to Catalina Island.
En route to Catalina, Wood went overboard during the night. The next morning, authorities found her body a mile away. A small inflatable boat was beached nearby. Wagner speculated that Wood had been annoyed by the sound of the dinghy banging against the side of the yacht, went out in the darkness to try and fix the noise, and instead slipped into the water and was lost.
At the time, Walken and Wagner both testified that Wagner and Wood had been arguing earlier in the evening, but that their argument had quickly faded. However, according to the autopsy report, "Wood had bruises on her body and arms as well as a facial abrasion on her left cheek."
For decades, people had speculated that Wood and Wagner were fighting, and that Wood was thrown overboard as a result - either deliberately, or knocked overboard when Wagner smacked her. Wood had been drinking, as well as taking an anti-seasickness medication, which increases the effects of alcohol. It would not have taken much for her to drown under those circumstances.
And what of Christopher Walken; has he been covering for Robert Wagner all these years? According to Hollywood gossip, Natalie Wood had been having an affair with Walken on the set. Could this affair have led to the fight between Wood and her husband, Robert Wagner? Walken has long denied any romantic involvement with Wood.
Last November, the captain of the boat finally came forward. He confessed that he had lied to police during the initial investigation, and said that "a fight between Wood and Wagner had led to her death." The case continues to be under active investigation. Here's hoping the truth comes out one day.