Mariska Hargitay Has Opened Up About Her Life So Far, And What She Had To Say Is Heartbreaking

After divorcing Hargitay, Mansfield married Matt Climber, a film director. However, the marriage didn’t last long, and before long Mansfield had moved in with her attorney, Sam Brody. But Brody was reportedly abusive to both Mansfield and her oldest daughter. And by the mid-’60s, the once-iconic blonde bombshell was on a downward spiral, battling alcoholism and frequently getting into trouble because of it.

And it was at this point, when Mariska was three years old, that Mansfield’s life came to a tragic end. In June 1967 Mansfield, Brody and their driver Ronnie Harrison were all killed when their car crashed into the back of a tractor obscured by pesticide fog. Mariska and two of her brothers were in the car, too, but they all escaped with relatively minor injuries.

Mariska still bears a scar on her face from the accident which killed her mother. But the emotional scars go much deeper. Ever since photographs were first released of the crash scene, a persistent urban legend has claimed that Mansfield was decapitated in the crash. Indeed, it’s rumored that one infamous photo actually shows the top of her head lying on the ground.