When she was 16 her parents were killed in a car crash. Producer
J.L. Frothingham, for whom she was working at the time, assumed
guardianship of both Marguerite and her younger brother.
She was best friends with actress and dancer Barbara La Marr, who died from tuberculosis at age 29 on January 30, 1926.
Her first husband, John Bowers, committed suicide by drowning at age 50 on November 17, 1936, after 12 years of marriage.
Upon her death, her remains were interred at Olivet Memorial Park in Colma, San Mateo County, California. Her location plot is Olivet Columbarium, Room M, Niche 115.