The Death of Actress Natalie Wood

The 1981 drowning of Natalie Wood, while Splendour, the yacht belonging to her and her husband, Robert Wagner, was anchored off Catalina Island, remains one of Hollywood’s darkest mysteries. The star of Splendor in the Grass and Rebel Without a Cause, whose tempestuous search for love had led her finally to remarry Wagner, was terrified of deep water. How had she ended up in the Pacific in the middle of the night? Drawing on the police report—which includes interviews with Wagner, Christopher Walken (Wood’s then co-star), and others—as well as details from the yacht’s captain, let’s see if we can’t find out what happened.