Man Pays Big to Be Laid to Rest Near Marilyn Monroe

Beverly Hills tech investor Anthony Jabin "always dreamt of being next to Marilyn Monroe for the rest of my life." He didn't quite make that dream a reality, but he got close. With a bid of $195,000, Jabin nabbed a mausoleum crypt one row above and four spaces to the left of the one occupied by Monroe at Pierce Brother Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary in Los Angeles, the BBC reports. (In 1992, Hugh Hefner bought the crypt next to Monroe's, in which he was laid to rest.) That's not all Jabin obtained at the "Icons: Playboy, Hugh Hefner, and Marilyn Monroe" sale by Julien's Auctions. As Sky News reports, he bought a circular bed belonging to Hefner for $13,000 and a swimming costume worn by Monroe for $29,250.

The three-day auction that ended Saturday offered "a stunning and fascinating collection of artifacts from three American icons of the 20th century, Hugh Hefner, Marilyn Monroe and Playboy." The auction house noted Hefner and Monroe never met, but their "legacies became inextricably linked when Monroe appeared in Hefner's inaugural 1953 issue of Playboy." Up for grabs were several dresses worn by Monroe. A long-sleeved pink silk Pucci dress sold for $325,000, setting a record for a Pucci dress sold at auction, per the Hollywood Reporter. An evening gown Monroe wore in a scene cut from The Seven Year Itch sold for $127,000 and a Jean Louis silk jersey cocktail dress Monroe wore to a press conference for The Misfits sold for $65,000.

An old marker on Monroe's crypt, which had minor damage from fans constantly touching it, sold for $89,900. Even an "orange pink" Elizabeth Arden lipstick used by Monroe sold for $7,000, "making it the second-highest-selling lipstick in auction history," per the Reporter. An art collection that once hung in the Playboy headquarters sold for $127,000, per Sky. Hefner's smoking jacket, silk pajamas, and slippers sold for $35,750, while another ensemble featuring a smoking jacket, slippers, and a pipe sold for $13,000. An original copy of the aforementioned inaugural issue of Playboy featuring Monroe sold for $6,500. In all, nearly 600 items were sold, bringing in $4 million, per the Reporter. (More Marilyn Monroe stories.)