Also in 1979, Stratten wed Snider, who had by that time become a dominant, dangerous force in the young model’s professional and personal life. Hugh Hefner took note of Snider’s behavior, and encouraged Stratten to leave her husband, whose paranoia and possessiveness had worsened when Stratten began an affair with director, Peter Bogdanovich. After Stratten moved into Bogdanovich's Bel Air home, Snider hired a private detector to stalk Stratten.
On August 14, 1980, Snider and Stratten, who were by this time separated, met at Snider's home. Shortly after eleven o'clock at night, the pair was discovered dead in Snider’s room by murder-suicide, both fatally wounded by gunshot. It was revealed that Stratten had been tied up and sexually assaulted before being brutally shot in the face by Snider, who then turned the gun on himself.
Stratten starred in five films before her death: Skatetown USA in 1979, Americathon in 1979, Autumn Born in 1979, Galaxina in 1980, and They All Laughed in 1981 with John Ritter, which was released after Stratten’s death. On the small-screen, Stratten also starred in popular series, Fantasy Island, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
Since her untimely death, Stratten has taken on somewhat of a cult-like status, inspiring the 1983 Bob Fosse film Star 80, as well as the 1981 made-for-TV movie starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story. Stratten is also the subject of Peter Bogdanovich’s book, The Killing of the Unicorn, which includes some of Stratten’s own personal poetry. Bogdonavich later married Stratten’s sister, Louise Stratten, however, the couple divorced in 2001.
Stratten is buried just a few short miles from the Playboy Mansion, with her tombstone epitaph including a quote from Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms.
"If people bring so much courage
to this world
the world has to kill them to break them,
so of course it kills them.
It kills the very good and the very gentle
and the very brave impartially.
If you are none of these
you can be sure that it will kill you, too
but there will be no special hurry".
During her last interview, Stratten shared some thoughts on her unique profession, claiming "I never had any qualms about posing nude. The human body was always an attractive figure to me, that is, if it was in healthy shape, and young. I think I had a more European outlook about the body and sex. The body is in no way dirty, and sex is something beautiful to give to and share with a lover. It has nothing to do with promiscuity, because I only believe in being in love with one man at a time."
YUDDY
