LOS ANGELES, May 9 — Memorabilia belonging to late model and movie star Marilyn Monroe ‌is heading to the auction block, offering a rare glimpse into the private world of one of Hollywood’s most enduring legends. Items up for sale include pieces from her wardrobe, jewellery, letters, ‌handwritten notes, paintings, and poetry.

“Marilyn is just an icon,” said Brian Chanes, senior director of Hollywood and entertainment at Heritage Auctions, during a preview of the collection today. “People love and adore Marilyn to this day.”

Born Norma Jeane Mortenson in Los Angeles in 1926, Monroe became a renowned actress, model, singer and sex symbol known for her blonde hair and hourglass body. She died in 1962.

Memorabilia belonging to late model and movie star Marilyn Monroe is displayed alongside a photograph during a preview ahead of an upcoming auction in Los Angeles, California May 8, 2026. — Reuters pic

Sale to coincide with birthday

Heritage Auctions is opening bidding to the public on items from the estate of poets Norman and Hedda Rosten, close friends and confidants of Monroe. The sale, ‌which happens June 1, coincides with what would have been the star’s 100th birthday and ⁠features personal belongings dating from 1955 ⁠to 1962.

Among the most striking offerings are documents never ⁠seen publicly, shedding light on Monroe’s ⁠inner life. The ⁠papers explore her romantic relationships, fears surrounding a lost pregnancy, and her reflections on mortality.

“It’s really special because this isn’t material that’s been bought and sold over the decades,” ⁠Chanes said. “This is something that’s a discovery.”

A person looks at memorabilia belonging to late model and movie star Marilyn Monroe displayed during a preview ahead of an upcoming auction in Los Angeles, California May 8, 2026. — Reuters pic

From costume jewellery Monroe wore to artwork she once held in her hands, the collection offers buyers intimate access to her personal world. The auction also includes correspondence from her ex-husband, playwright Arthur Miller, revealing the emotional complexities of their marriage, as well as an unseen letter from Monroe’s psychiatrist describing ⁠the day leading up to her death.

Chanes highlighted one particularly emotional piece from the period when Monroe was filming Some Like It Hot. Writing on stationery from ⁠the Hotel del Coronado, she pleaded for help as her struggles threatened to derail production.

A flower lays atop the Hollywood Walk of Fame star for the late actress Marilyn Monroe in Hollywood August 5, 2012. — Reuters pic

“Right ⁠before she ⁠was about to overdose and they had to halt filming, she wrote, ‘I feel like I’m drowning,’” Chanes recalled.

“You can feel the anguish in her writing,” he added, noting that Monroe sketched ‌a stick figure submerged in water on the same stationery, begging for help — an image that highlighted the mental health struggles she faced throughout her career. — Reuters

Exclusive: Taped conversations also cover playwright’s relationship with fame, self-doubt and communism

He was one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century and she was one of the greatest actors. In newly unearthed recordings made over a period of nearly three decades, Arthur Miller opened up about his short-lived marriage to Marilyn Monroe, saying she wanted a husband who was a “father, lover, friend and agent,” and the child she longed for would have been an “additional problem”.

In taped conversations with his friend and biographer Prof Christopher Bigsby, Miller said he had felt “death was always on her [Monroe’s] shoulder – always”. He had believed that if he did not “take care of her life” she would come to a “catastrophic end”.