IN LOVING MEMORY OF
Marilyn Monroe
1926 - 1962
By my side,
behind this marble fascade
so worn by the tears of ages,
lies the mortal remains of
Marilyn Monroe.
Goodbye, Norma Jeane...
"Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep"
(as another song goes)
but celebrate instead the life and the legend
of Marilyn Monroe.
Danamo - August 5th, 2000 at
Marilyn's grave.
On August 5th each year a memorial service is held at Westwood Memorial Cemetery 1218 Glendon Avenue, Westwood California, in rememberance of Marilyn Monroe, who is buried there. People from all around the world come to pay their respects to her memory. These people include not only fans, historians, and the press, but also people who knew Marilyn personally as friends and co-workers.
The cemetery is like a one square block little park right in the heart of downtown Hollywood, surrounded by high-rise buildings. There are no signs that I noticed, and you'd never find it unless you knew right where it was.
The marble on Marilyn's crypt is very worn and dirty from so many 1000's of people touching it over the years. Looks like people have even carved out chips of the stone to take as souvenirs. All the other crypts around it are clean and unscratched so the contrast makes it really stand out. There's talk about restoring it soon. In a way though, I think it's condition is a testimony to MM's popularity. Still, Marilyn deserves the best!!!
I attended the memorial service in the little funeral chapel there in 2000. There were a lot of speakers, including the producer of "River of No Return," some of MM's co-stars, dressmakers, makeup artists, and others who knew her, like one of her high school friends. They all had some personal stories to relate. Penny McGuiggan, who co-starred in "Some Like It Hot," made a touching scene with an imaginary phone call to Marilyn in heaven, which lightened up the somber mood. George Barris told us some details of his last sitting with Marilyn. At the end, they played a recording of Lee Strasberg's eulogy from Marilyn's actual funeral in 62. It was eerie, like going back in time and being right there at her funeral.
