L.A Coroner by Anne Choi
5 Things You Didn’t Know About L.A.’s Most Famous Coroner (Yes, That’s a Real Title)
Move over, CSI—Los Angeles had a real-life celebrity coroner long before TV turned crime scenes into primetime drama. In our latest episode of For the Love of History, we sat down with author and historian Anne Choi to talk about her new book L.A. Coroner, and let’s just say... you’re gonna want to hear what the morgue smelled like after a rock star died.
But seriously—L.A. Coroner is more than just autopsies and tabloid headlines. It’s about race, power, and how one Japanese American doctor, Dr. Thomas Noguchi, became a reluctant icon in the weird world of death and fame. Here are five of the wildest things we learned from our conversation:
1. He Was the “Coroner to the Stars”—Literally
Dr. Noguchi didn’t just examine anyone—his “clients” included Marilyn Monroe, Janis Joplin, Sharon Tate, and Robert F. Kennedy. If someone famous died in L.A. between the 1960s and 1980s, odds are Noguchi was there, scalpel in hand. The media couldn’t get enough of him—and neither could the public.
2. His Press Conferences Were...Theatrical
In a pre-true crime podcast world, Dr. Noguchi was holding daily autopsy press briefings like it was the Oscars red carpet. His matter-of-fact delivery of gruesome details became a media circus. But Anne Choi argues this wasn’t just sensationalism—it was about public trust, race, and asserting authority in a system that often saw him as an outsider.
3. Race Was Always in the Room
As a Japanese American public official in postwar L.A., Noguchi’s presence alone was political. He was praised for his precision but also scrutinized more harshly than his white peers. When the RFK assassination brought national attention, Noguchi’s identity became a point of controversy—and ultimately played a role in his repeated dismissals from the office.
4. He Got Fired—Twice
Yes, twice. The first time was supposedly for “unprofessionalism,” but the real reason? Likely racism, politics, and a little too much media attention. The second time was more of the same. Anne Choi explains how these firings weren’t just about office drama—they were about institutional discomfort with a man who wouldn’t stay in his professional lane.
5. He Helped Create the “True Crime” Template
Before Serial and Netflix crime docs, there was Noguchi. His autopsy reports were front-page news. His persona helped shape the modern obsession with forensic science and celebrity death. Choi’s book explores how Noguchi’s work—and the spectacle around it—helped lay the groundwork for today’s true crime culture.
🎧 Wanna Hear More?
In the full episode, Anne Choi takes us behind the scenes of her research process, from scouring public records to decoding Noguchi’s carefully worded reports. We also talk about why L.A. Coroner matters now—especially as we think critically about race, media, and public trust in science.
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