By: Sam Gruetter

Opinion Editor 

A common occurrence within Hollywood is that celebrities accumulate more fame in death than in life. One celebrity who undoubtedly fits this mold is Marilyn Monroe, the 50s movie star. Her death has raised many questions and stirred up prolonged speculation about its circumstances. However, a less popular discussion about her death is her burial site, more specifically its location next to Hugh Hefner and an undisclosed donor. In an act of respect for the deceased movie star and in favorment of morals over monetary gain, Marilyn Monroe’s burial site should be relocated. 

Marilyn Monroe is currently buried in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, a popular location for a plethora of other celebrity burials. In 1992, former Playboy magazine owner Hugh Hefner bought the plot next to Monroe for $50,000. Despite the businessman’s controversial past as the owner of Playboy and its mansion, he committed a personal attack on Monroe when, in the first issue of Playboy, he published nude pictures of her on the cover page and centerfold when she was only twenty-two. Monroe made the photographer, Tom Kelley, promise that the public would not be able to recognize her from the photographs; however, this promise was broken. She initially posed for the photos in order to make a car payment, and Hefner never paid her more than $50 for the rights of the photo, despite the fortune he made off of that and subsequent issues. Providing an explanation for his desire to be buried next to her, Hefner commented to CBS that “I’m a sucker for blondes, and she is the ultimate blonde. It has a completion notion to it. I will be spending the rest of my eternity with Marilyn.”

Monroe’s location adjacent to Hefner is not the only reason her crypt should be moved. Laying directly above her is Richard Prochner, who requested that he be buried face down, facing the movie star. This is not only an unusual position that encroaches on Monroe’s ability to peacefully rest, but also a decision that a representative of Monroe’s estate did not approve. Despite the lack of approval, Prochner’s widow sold the crypt for $4.6 million on Ebay to an unnamed buyer in 2009, planning to move her late husband to another crypt. The high price is undoubtedly due to its close proximity to Monroe, continuing the fetishization and monetization of her image into the afterlife. 

In death, celebrities should be awarded the basic right of resting peacefully, especially Monroe, who experienced an extremely traumatic death, clouded with uncertainty and speculation. Her career is often characterized by her role as sex symbol in Hollywood, a position accompanied by an onslaught of male stalkers and critics. Therefore, moving Monroe’s plot, or other plots around her, would afford Monroe the respect she did not receive during her lifetime.

Sources: (Woman & Home, NPR, the Guardian)