I was listening to the voices of the dead whisper their memories of Marilyn Monroe - ghostly voices that had been silent for more than 40 years.
This unpublished material from a series of unheard tapes was just one of the sources for my new book about the star, timed to coincide with her centennial on June 1.
I listened to hundreds of hours of interviews, and read dozens of unpublished letters and private diaries to paint a fresh picture of the troubled star.
One of those quoted in the book is Harry Lipton, Monroe's first agent.
'She wanted to be wanted - that was the main thing,' he said. 'And I guess she felt that if she were a movie star she'd be loved.'
