Margeaux Hemingway, the model who once held the title of the world’s highest-paid face in fashion, was found dead in her small Santa Monica studio apartment on July 1, 1996. She was 42 years old. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled her death a suicide, caused by an overdose of phenobarbital, a drug she had been prescribed for epilepsy. The date of her death intersected tragically with her family history: it fell exactly one day before the 35th anniversary of her grandfather, Ernest Hemingway’s, suicide.
She was the fifth member of the Hemingway family across four generations to die by suicide, following the deaths of her great-grandfather, grandfather, and two of his siblings. Born Margaux Louise Hemingway on February 16, 1954, in Portland, Oregon, she was the middle daughter of Jack Hemingway, Ernest’s eldest son, and his wife, Byra. She later discovered she was conceived on a night her parents drank a bottle of Château Margaux wine, and she changed the spelling of her name to match the prestigious Bordeaux. She grew up in Ketchum, Idaho, the town where her grandfather had lived his final years and where he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on July 2, 1961.
Her childhood included struggles with dyslexia, epilepsy, depression, and bulimia. She dropped out of high school. In 1973, she accompanied her father to New York City, where she was introduced to the fashion world. Within 249 days of her arrival, she had signed a $1 million contract with Fabergé to promote their new fragrance, Babe.
It was the first million-dollar modeling contract in history. She appeared on the covers of Time and Vogue in 1975 and was dubbed a “supermodel. ” Her rapid ascent was followed by a highly publicized descent into heavy drinking and nightlife, including regular appearances at Studio 54. Fabergé eventually dropped her from the Babe campaign, citing her public image.
In 1976, she made her film debut in “Lipstick,” and she advocated for her younger sister, Mariel, to take a supporting role. Critics largely dismissed Margaux’s performance while praising Mariel, who went on to build a successful acting career. Margaux’s later film roles were mostly low-budget productions. She married and divorced Errol Wetson, the entrepreneur who first managed her career, and later married filmmaker Bernard Foucher.
Both marriages ended in divorce. In the 1990s, she alleged that she had been sexually abused by her father as a child, an allegation he denied. In 2013, her sister Mariel publicly confirmed in the documentary “Running from Crazy” that both Margaux and their older sister Joan had been abused by their father. Jack Hemingway died in 2000 without publicly addressing the allegations.
In the late 1980s, Margaux checked into the Betty Ford Center to address her drinking. She later spoke candidly about her recovery, her struggles with bulimia, and her mental health, openly connecting her own alcohol use to her grandfather’s death. She also appeared on the cover of Playboy in 1990, which she framed as reclaiming agency over her image. In 1994 or 1995, she traveled to India on what was described as a spiritual trip, but she cut the journey short and was later treated at a psychiatric facility in Idaho.
By 1996, she had moved to Santa Monica and had been hired to narrate an Animal Planet documentary. Her brother-in-law later said she seemed better than she had been in years. In her final days, she reportedly left rambling messages for friends. Her body was found by a concerned friend; it had been decomposing for some time, meaning she had likely been dead for days before discovery.
The official cause of death was an intentional overdose of phenobarbital, with levels well above therapeutic range. The bottle found at the scene was not from a current prescription. Her family initially questioned the suicide ruling, noting that she had appeared hopeful and that a long note would have been typical of her. In 2005, on “Larry King Live,” Mariel Hemingway said she had come to accept that her sister died by suicide.
The circumstances, whether deliberate or accidental, have remained a subject of debate. Margaux Hemingway was buried in Ketchum, Idaho, in the Hemingway family plot, in the shadow of her grandfather’s memorial. She is remembered not only for her beauty and fame but for her willingness to speak openly about her struggles at a time when such honesty was far less accepted.
Her advocates argue that she was a woman carrying a heavy family legacy, trauma, and health challenges, with insufficient support to sustain her.