40 Years after Natalie Wood’s death, sister Lana still searching for answers

It could be considered a tragic example of life imitating Hollywood art. When the James Bond film “Diamonds Are Forever” premiered on Dec. 17, 1971, many in the audience were probably disappointed to see Lana Wood’s perky Plenty O’Toole character unexpectedly drowned and left floating in a swimming pool.

Ten years later, the movie world would be shocked when the body of Lana’s real-life 43-year-old sister Natalie Wood was found floating lifeless in the ocean off Catalina Island on the morning of Nov. 29, 1981.

While the former was clearly a case of on-screen homicide, Natalie’s watery demise remains one of Hollywood’s enduring mysteries, and is recently resurrected in Lana’s “Little Sister: My Investigation into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood” published 40 years after the beloved actress’s death.

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Despite a morbid fear of drowning, Natalie would often go boating with husband Robert Wagner but, according to Lana, remained especially terrified of “dark ocean water.”

“How did she end up in the sea at nighttime?” asked Lana from her home in Los Angeles. “The circumstances remain a question for many people. I wanted to present the facts about her death in this new book, including the police and coroner’s reports, as well as a new witness who heard screams that night.”

Natalie and Wagner, along with fellow actor Christopher Walken, had embarked on a weekend cruise aboard Wagner’s motor yacht skippered by Dennis Davern. Although the group had been drinking and the couple apparently argued, Lana doesn’t believe her sister merely fell overboard or that she tumbled into the water while attempting a nighttime launch of a dingy attached to the boat to leave after the argument.

While no one onboard at the time has ever been charged with involvement in Natalie’s death, speculation on how Natalie got into the water the night before her body was discovered continues to haunt Lana.

“I wrote another book (in 2011) that looked at Natalie’s life and happier times,” recalled Lana. “But the new book wasn’t as easy to write because I’d get emotional and have to walk away from it periodically.”

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Both sisters were close, having been thrust into acting by their mother. But each took a different career path with Natalie working mostly in film to reach true superstar fame while Lana embraced the television route and enjoyed modest success in films. And while Lana may have lived in her famous sister’s shadow, she appears to have been comfortable in that shade.

“Natalie loved being a movie star,” Lana said. “Any time she left home, she would put on her make-up, do her hair, and dress impeccably because she never wanted to disappoint when out in public. While I enjoyed working, I didn’t want to be scrutinized everywhere I went or be constantly photographed. I didn’t seek that fame.”

Being a gorgeous former Bond girl, however, inevitably invited recognition and still does to this day.

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Despite the parallel between the untimely drownings of her character in “Diamonds Are Forever” and her sister, Lana says she can still watch her death scene without emotionally connecting it to her sister’s.

“What really still disturbs me is to think of Natalie struggling in the ocean in the dark, which was her greatest fear,” she said. “However, the coroner believed she was either unconscious or dead when she went into the water, and for her sake I hope that was the case.”

But that, of course, is the crux of the Natalie Wood mystery — was she really unconscious or deceased when she entered the water and, if so, what might have happened to render the actress in that condition?

“I’m convinced there’s more to the story of my sister’s death,” Lana said. “I don’t know if the truth will ever come out, but I hope my book will keep people probing for answers and keep Natalie’s memory alive.”

Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, in Alabama, and has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous magazines and newspapers. See www.tinseltowntalks.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Sister still searching for answers 40 Years after Natalie Wood’s death