The life of Marilyn Monroe‘s half-brother, Robert Kermitt Baker, was marked with tragic incidents that ultimately led to his untimely death at the young age of 15.
Marilyn Monroe ( Photo: CNN )
Robert Baker was the son of Gladys Baker’s first marriage to Jasper Newton Baker
When Gladys tried to end the relationship, Jasper Newton Baker kidnapped Robert and his sister Berniece Baker Miracle and took them to Kentucky.
At the age of three, Robert Baker was involved in a car accident that injured his hip, leaving him with a permanent limp. Later, he lost his right eye when a firecracker he placed in a Coke bottle exploded during a 4th of July party. Robert was in and out of the hospital due to health problems resulting from a shorter leg that did not grow properly after being placed in a cast.
Eventually, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis of the bone and died of kidney failure resulting from the infection.
Marilyn never had the opportunity to meet her half-brother, and there is little known about her reaction to his death
However, in her book My Sister Marilyn: A Memoir Of Marilyn Monroe, half-sister Berniece claims that Robert was simply “unlucky.” Unfortunately, Robert’s tragic life did not end with his death.
When Gladys learned of her son’s passing, she reportedly took out her grief on Marilyn and even screamed, “Why couldn’t it have been you?” Gladys subsequently suffered a mental breakdown.
In conclusion, the life of Marilyn Monroe’s half-brother, Robert Kermitt Baker, was marked by tragedy and misfortune. While not much is known about his relationship with his half-sister, the circumstances surrounding his untimely death undoubtedly affected the family dynamics and further contributed to Gladys’ mental health struggles.
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