Rest in peace with Marilyn Monroe

For a shade over US$700,000, you could spend eternity with Marilyn Monroe.

A US widow is auctioning off the burial plot directly above where film legend Marilyn Monroe lies, the Los Angeles Times newspaper is reporting.

In an ad on eBay, Elsie Poncher is offering someone the chance to "spend eternity directly above Marilyn Monroe."

Bidding opened at US$500,000 (NZ$ 740,636), and has now reached US$710,000.

By Monday 17 August (NZ time) 11 bids had been placed but the reserve had not been met. The auction is due to close on August 24.

Poncher's husband previously occupied the plot.

Poncher says her husband's remains will be moved into the crypt intended for her, while she will be cremated when she dies.

Poncher told the LA Times that she hoped to make enough money to pay off the $1.6m mortgage on her Beverly Hills mansion.

Westwood Village cemetery, where the plots are located, is the final resting place of many celebrities, including Dean Martin, Roy Orbison, Truman Capote, and most recently Farrah Fawcett.

Hugh Hefner bought the crypt beside Monroe in 1992.

Poncher told the LA Times that in keeping with his dying wish, her husband was placed face down in his crypt on top of the actress.

Richard Poncher died 23 years ago at the age of 81. He was said to be a successful businessman who worked hard, spent lavishly, and knew "all the gangsters" of LA.

He bought two burial plots from Joe DiMaggio during the US baseball legend's 1954 divorce from Monroe.


- NZ HERALD STAFF