TIGERX.COM Memorials: Marilyn Monroe

Fond Farewells

Marilyn Monroe
(Norma Jean Mortenson)

June 1, 1926 - - - August 5, 1962

Born in Los Angeles, Marilyn would never know the true identity of her father due to her mother's mental instability and the fact that she was unmarried at the time. For the first 7 years of her life, Norma Jeane was placed in the foster home of Albert and Ida Bolender. Afterward she lived briefly with her natural mother until her mother became ill again.
On June 19, 1942 Norma married Jim Dougherty, 5 years her senior and they divorced in 1946. That same year 946 Norma signed a contract with Twentieth Century-Fox Studios and selected her mother's family name of Monroe, from that time on she would be known as Marilyn Monroe. She started modelling and soon after came movies.
Marilyn Monroe met Joe DiMaggio in early 1952, at that time she was 25 and he was 37 and recently retired from baseball. On January 14, 1954 they were married, only to be separated a few months later. Joe wanted a housewife, Marilyn wanted her career more than anything. In 1955 she met Arthur Miller and they were married in Reno, Nevada in 1956. Though it was her longest marriage, it still ended in a divorce due to her unhappiness "Mr. Miller is a wonderful man and a great writer, but it didn't work out that we should be husband and wife."
A rumoured affair with US President John F. Kennedy took place in 1961. At a gala birthday celebration in Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962, Marilyn sang her famous "Happy Birthday" tribute to the President. The Attorney General, Bobby Kennedy was also reported to have had an affair with Marilyn shortly before her death.
During this time Marilyn had been seeing Joe DiMaggio and had finally agreed to remarry him. The wedding date was set for August 8, 1962, but tragically on August 5th, sh died of an accidental drug overdose... possibly administered by someone other than Marilyn herself. There are rumors she there was a conspiracy for her to be murdered.
A saddened Joe DiMaggio made arrangements for the funeral, inviting no one from the Hollywood, but only close friends and relatives. "They had only hurt Marilyn" he said. This included attorney general Bobby Kennedy and the infamous Rat Pack of they enjoyed the company of: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. For over 20 years flowers were delivered weekly to her crypt from Joe, just as he had promised Marilyn when she told him of William Powell's pledge to the dying Jean Harlow.
Some of Marylin's Quotes...
"Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul"
"I knew I belonged to the public and to the world, not because I was talented or even beautiful,
but because I had never belonged to anything or anyone else."

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