If you’re looking to spend eternity with the rich and famous, you’re in luck. A crypt located near the final resting place for two Hollywood icons is prime real estate for those who want to mingle with the stars, even in death.
Historic Items Up For Auction Include Monroe And Hefner Area Crypt
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Julien’s Auction House to the Stars is priming for an auction set to take place this Saturday, March 30, where many historic artifacts and paraphernalia will be offered. Included in this auction, entitled “Icons: Playboy, Hugh Hefner, and Marilyn Monroe,” is a crypt at Los Angeles’ Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary that is located close to the tombs of Monroe and “Playboy” founder—and noted major Monroe fan—Hugh Hefner. The crypt up for auction is in the Corridor of Memories section, specifically Wall B, Space C-3, which is reportedly one row above and four spaces to the left of Monroe’s spot.
This isn’t the first time a crypt near Monroe and Hefner has been offered for sale. In 2021, the family of late composer Jerry Herman listed a Monroe-and-Hefner-area crypt for sale at $2 million.
Other notables buried at Pierce Brothers include Farrah Fawcett, Truman Capote, Natalie Wood, Jack Lemon, and Dean Martin, among many others.
Monroe’s Final Resting Place Chosen For Sentimental Reasons
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Monroe, a legend of the silver screen who left an indelible mark on cinema, died tragically at age 36 in 1962. At the time of her death, her ex-husband, baseball player Joe DiMaggio, organized a private funeral for her at Pierce Brothers. DiMaggio reportedly barred members of the press and fans from attending her service. A PBS article stated, “According to the account of the funeral printed in the New York Times, DiMaggio bent down to Monroe, saying ‘I love you. I love you.’ For two decades, DiMaggio had flowers delivered to Marilyn’s grave twice a week.”
According to a walking tour advertisement of Pierce Brothers in 2008, the reason Monroe was buried there was a sentimental one. “In 1962, Marilyn Monroe became the first celebrity burial here, due to the fact that two of the women who raised her, Ana Lower and Grace Goddard, are buried there.”
Hefner’s Controversial History With Monroe
Hefner, the famed magazine editor and publisher, was so smitten with Monroe that he made her the cover model on the first issue of “Playboy” in 1953. It was a controversial move, as Monroe had neither consented to the publication nor received payment for the nude photos printed inside, as they had been taken years prior. In the book, “Marilyn: Her Life in Her Own Words,” author and friend of Monroe George Barris quoted her as saying, “I never even received a thank-you from all those who made millions off a nude Marilyn photograph.” Coincidentally, an original, first edition Playboy is also up for auction as part of this sale.
Hefner’s Obsession With Monroe Extends Beyond Death
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Hefner’s obsession with Monroe also compelled him to purchase the crypt next to hers in 1992 for $75,000. “‘I’m a believer in things symbolic,’” Hefner told the Los Angeles Times in 2009. “‘Spending eternity next to Marilyn is too sweet to pass up.’”
“Of course,” the article points out, “Monroe, who died in 1962, didn’t get a say in whether she would want to spend the hereafter next to Hefner.”
Hefner died at age 91 in 2017.
Crypt Near Monroe And Hefner’s Graves Expected To Garner Hundreds Of Thousands At Auction
Julien’s Auctions
The crypt up for auction this weekend is listed at a starting bid of $50,000, but it is expected to fetch anywhere from $200,000 to $400,000. Other lots up for sale in this auction include vintage contact sheets from Monroe films like “The Prince and the Showgirl,” limited edition photos, movie stills from projects like “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” Monroe’s grave marker, and even mundane items like a furniture receipt that shows Monroe paid $228.80 for a Roman white chest from Pilgrim’s Furniture in Los Angeles in 1962. Items belonging to Hefner that are up for auction include his famed burgundy smoking jacket and silk pajamas, various pieces of décor and furniture from the famed Playboy Mansion, and vintage Playboy magazines from Hefner’s personal collection.