Natalie Wood’s former husband has revealed that he held himself accountable for the actress’s drowning death for many years after she perished off the California coast.
In his autobiography, Robert Wagner shared the last moment he spent with his wife and expressed the guilt he carried for not being able to rescue her.
‘I did blame myself, the actor stated in his 2009 book, Pieces of My Heart. ‘If I had been present, I might have been able to help. I wasn’t there, but in the end, a man is accountable for his loved ones.
‘I would have done anything imaginable to protect her. Anything at all. I lost the woman I adored more than anything, and I will never fully make peace with that.’
Recently, Los Angeles police announced they reopened the investigation into her death, citing ‘substantial new evidence’ discovered from three decades ago.
On that tragic night, Wagner was aboard the yacht Splendour with his wife and her rumored lover, Oscar-winning actor Christopher Walken, and has consistently claimed that Wood, 43, tragically slipped and drowned while intoxicated as she attempted to tie a dinghy to the boat.
However, retired stockbroker Marilyn Wayne stated she heard the actress’s ‘final desperate cries for help’ and alleged that the police previously dismissed her testimony.
The boat’s captain, Dennis Davern, also asserted he was ‘coerced’ by Wagner’s attorney into declaring the death was accidental and asserted that Wagner had prevented them from searching for his wife.
A police insider labeled Wagner as ‘a person of interest’ regarding the case.
Yet, the lead detective from the original investigation claimed he never had any suspicions about Wagner.
Duane Rasure, a retired detective sergeant from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau, noted the actress’s small stature, making it plausible that she drowned quickly.
‘It was an accidental drowning; she just happened to be a well-known movie star. Being a petite woman, she could have drowned in no time, I believe,’ Rasure shared with 48 Hours for the Vanity Fair: Hollywood Scandal program.
He also accused Mr. Davern, the boat’s captain, of profiting from his association with the tragedy, as Davern expressed his blame towards Wagner for Wood’s death.
‘Clearly, he is trying to capitalize on this incident with a book. I believe that’s the main motivation behind his writing,’ Rasure commented.
‘If I had the slightest notion that there was foul play or something suspicious, I would have pursued it,’ Rasure remarked. ‘I did not cover for anyone, nor would I. Their celebrity status doesn’t matter; they’re just people.’
In his autobiography, Wagner revisits the moments leading up to his wife’s death off the California coast thirty years prior.
He details how he, along with Natalie—his wife of two marriage ceremonies—and Walken was aboard the Splendour when an argument erupted.
Wagner conveyed: ‘Chris Walken started discussing his ‘total pursuit of a career’, which he acknowledged was more significant to him than his
personal life. He appeared to believe that Natalie should lead her life in the same manner.
‘I became upset. ‘Why don’t you keep out of her career?’ I retorted. ‘She has enough people advising her without your input.’
As the conflict intensified, Natalie departed for bed.
‘The last time I encountered my wife, she was styling her hair in the bathroom.‘While I was arguing with Chris,’ he stated. ‘I saw her close the door. She was heading to bed.’
He recounted how he and Walken ascended to the deck as ‘things were about to get physical,’ and the fresh sea air helped to calm them down.
He mentioned that he stayed up a bit longer before going to bed, but his wife was still missing.
He observed that the dinghy was no longer there, and he would have noticed its motor starting had she taken it. They contacted the coast to check if she had gone there in the dinghy.
‘I was both scared and confused,’ he remarked. ‘The Coast Guard commenced the search and rescue, crisscrossing the ocean’s surface with helicopters. Hour after hour – nothing.’
Upon learning of her death, ‘my knees gave way; everything faded away from me.’
He expressed his belief that Natalie, who had consumed seven or eight glasses of wine, must have heard the dinghy bumping against the boat and slipped while trying to retie it.
Some have speculated that she was attempting to escape the argument, but the truth remains unknown.
He further detailed in his autobiography how furious he would become whenever other men showed interest in his wife.
Rasure indicated his belief in this account of events, asserting that Wagner did not intentionally delay in seeking help.
‘There was time. They were uncertain,’ he notes. ‘They thought she had gone ashore in a Zodiac, and that nothing was amiss. He did make a call for the shore search.’
‘The only one who truly knows is Natalie Wood. Robert Wagner knows. I believe he told me the truth.’
However, Wood’s sister, Lana, who was not present on the boat, shared with CNN’s Piers Morgan that she has had numerous discussions with Davern and is convinced that her sister did not fall off the boat.
‘I don’t believe she fell; I’m unsure if she was pushed or if an altercation led to a tragic accident, but she should be alive, and that pain lingers with me,’ Lana Wood expressed.
‘I would like to believe that RJ Wagner would never harm Natalie and that his love for her was genuine, which it was, and I don’t think any of the incidents were intentional. I’ve always cared for him, and I will continue to do so,’ she added.
Since the investigation was reopened last week, Wagner has kept a low profile, staying secluded in his Hollywood residence.
His publicist issued a statement indicating that they were leaving the matter to the LA County Sheriff’s department, while seemingly attributing blame to Dennis Davern, the skipper of the Splendour, for attempting to capitalize on her death.
The statement read: ‘We trust they will assess whether any new information regarding the death of Natalie Wood Wagner is credible and comes from sources beyond those simply trying to profit from the 30th anniversary of her tragic passing.’
by Helena Bryanlith
