Here is a review from one of our readers, Loretta Martin:
Being the celebrity watcher that I am, I sometimes wait for years to find out the true story about what had really happened when a scandalous incident occurs. Around the world the tabloids put out every scenario you can -- or can't -- imagine. Usually there are so many versions of what actually happened that you don't have any idea which one is really true, and most of them aren't. You finally end up picking the one with the reasoning that fits with your line of thinking -- and then you sit back and wait for the truth to be told.
The death of Robert Wagner's wife, Natalie Wood, and the circumstances surrounding her death in late November of 1981 were a shock to everyone. They were on board their boat, the "Splendour." Christopher Walken and Wood were in the middle of filming "Brainstorm" and he was an invited guest the night the tragedy occurred. The tabloids had a field day making up their versions of the story and Wagner had been advised by his attorney not to answer any questions the reporters might ask. So he didn't, and I wondered if we would ever hear the truth from Wagner himself.
When I heard about "Pieces of my Heart," Wagner's life story as told by him, I immediately put it on my must-read list. Of course there are some parts celebrity watchers will enjoy, but to me, the book was very disjointed. He continually skipped back and forth from year to year. You could be reading about an incident that happened to him in 1962 and suddenly your're reading about 1948 because he seems to suddenly remember something that happened with the person he's writing about and just throws it in when it occurs to him. It was hard to keep the years straight.
Eventually I was rewarded with his version of what happened that night that led to her death, but it wasn't until page 254 of the 324 page book. It is, however, a quick read so you don't have to waste too much of your time wading through the rest of the book.
I'm not going to read this book, but I would like to know what happened the night Natalie Wood died. Will you please share?
In a nutshell: Wood was filming "Brainstorm" with Christopher Walken. On Friday, Nov. 27, 1981, Wood and Wagner invited four people to join them on their boat, the "Splendour" for a trip to Catalina. Three of the four people cancelled so that left Wood, Wagner and Walken on the boat. Wood didn't mind being on the water on the boat but she hated to be IN the water since she couldn't swim.
Wagner and Walken got into an argument about Natalie's career, so she left the two of them and went below deck to the master cabin to go to the bathroom. Wagner says the last time he saw her, she was fixing her hair at a vanity in the bathroom while the two men argued. He saw her shut the door; she was going to bed.
Wagner and Walken went up on the deck and cooled off. Once the air was cleared, Walken went to bed and Wagner sat for a while talking to Dennis Davern, the man who took care of the boat.
When Wagner went below and saw Wood wasn't there he went back up on deck to look for her and noticed the dinghy was gone. He didn't think she had taken the dinghy because she was terrified of dark water and if she had taken the dinghy they woul dhave heard it start up.
Wagner went to the restaurant they had eaten at to see if she had gone there. Walken and Davern stayed on the boat.
When Wagner saw she wasn't at the restaurant, he called the Coast Guard who searched the boat from top to bottom. Not finding her, they started a search and rescue, which was very difficult because it was around 2 a.m.
The men sat through the night but barely spoke. Wagner thought she could have taken the dinghy and the engine could have gone dead.
At about 5:30 a.m. the Coast Guard found the dinghy in an isolated cover. The key was in the off position, the gear was in neutral and the oars were fastened to the side. Two hours later they found Wood - what helped them to spot her was her down-filled red parka.
It was then that the harbor master came to Wagner. When Wagner asked where she was he looked at Wagner and said "she's deadl, RJ."
Wagner was totally devastated.
Over the years the conclusion they came to was that she had heard the dinghy banging agsint the side of the boat and went to retie it. The last step down to the dinghy was dangerous and slippery. She may have slipped on the step and hit it as she fell, stunning her or knocking her unconscious and she rolled into the water. Thus there was no screaming for help - one of the big questions about why no one heard her if she fell into the water.
Took sleeping pills every night - suffered from insomnia. Anyone who's ever lived with someone with insomnia knows how the slightest noise at bedtime would bother them - even though you may not even notice it yourself. If dinghy made the slightest noise it's likely she would have left cabin to fix it. She also was intoxicated at the time (Not a capital offense). It was a recipe for disaster and, actually, a common one on boats.
No calls for help? Also likely since when you fall into the water and are not expecting to fall into the water its likely to swallow a ton of water. Her voice was mostly gone.