Top 10 Facts
Marilyn Monroe
10. Playboy Bunny
Monroe received only $50 to pose for the nude photos that appeared in the inaugural issue of Playboy magazine. Photographer Tom Kelley originally took the pictures in 1949 for use in a calendar, but Hugh Hefner bought the negatives from the calendar company years later after Monroe's star was on the rise. He paid $500, but the shots made him millions.
9. Peach Fuzz
8. Struggles of stuttering
Monroe had a stutter all the way through her childhood and into her teens, but it disappeared, later on in her life. It returned later in her life during the filming of her final movie, ‘Something’s Got to Give’, because of the stress she was under at the time.
7. Foster care
Growing up, Monroe spent much of her time in foster care and in an orphanage. In 1937, a family friend and her husband, Grace and Doc Goddard, took care of Monroe for a few years. The Goddard’s were paid $25 weekly by Monroe's mother to raise her.
6. International Star suffering anxiety
With her breathy voice and hourglass figure, Monroe became a much-admired international star, despite her chronic insecurities regarding her acting abilities. Monroe suffered from pre-performance anxiety that sometimes made her physically ill and was often the root cause of her legendary tardiness on films sets, which was so extreme that it often infuriated her co-stars and crew.
5. Failed Marriages
In her personal life, she had a string of unsuccessful marriages and relationships. Her 1954 marriage to baseball great Joe DiMaggio only lasted nine months
4. Mr.President
On May 19, 1962, Monroe made her now-famous performance at John F. Kennedy's birthday celebration, singing "Happy Birthday, Mr. President."
3. Marilyn's Death
On August 5, 1962, at only 36 years old, Marilyn Monroe died at her Los Angeles home. An empty bottle of sleeping pills was found by her bed. There has been some speculation over the years that she may have been murdered, but the cause of her death was officially ruled as a drug overdose.
2. Cadillac Casket
Monroe was buried in her favorite Emilio Pucci dress, in what was known as a "Cadillac casket"—the most high-end casket available, made of heavy-gauge solid bronze and lined with champagne-colored silk.
1. Red Roses
Hugh Hefner bought the crypt directly next to Monroe's, and Monroe's ex-husband, Joe DiMaggio, famously had red roses delivered to her crypt for the next 20 years.
sources
Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.
"10 Things You Didn't Know About Marilyn Monroe." Fox News Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.