By 1955, Diana Barrymore's life was deteriorating. Her acting career was on life support, both her parents were dead, and her health and personal life were also in shambles. In April, she attempted suicide by taking an overdose of sleeping pills while on tour in Boston, according to the United Press. "I just thought, 'oh, what difference does it make? Why wake up?'" she told Mike Wallace in 1957.
Then, less than two months after her suicide attempt, her third husband, fellow actor Robert Wilcox (who she was also planning on divorcing), died suddenly from a heart attack while on a train, according to The New York Times and the Associated Press. Her first two marriages had both ended in divorce. She would soon be back in the spotlight with her tell-all autobiography, "Too Much, Too Soon," which came out in 1957 and became a huge sensation. Barrymore had gotten sober, and her career was turning around, helped along when her book was turned into a Hollywood biopic, "Too Much, Too Soon." Errol Flynn played his old friend John Barrymore, who had died of cirrhosis of the liver because of his alcoholism in 1942, per TCM and Newsweek.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
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