LA Secrets: Why Marilyn Monroe Is the Hardest Working Ghost in Showbiz

Hollywood has produced a steady stream of icons over the years, and it’s safe to say that Marilyn Monroe is one of the most recognizable figures from the silver screen. 

Even today, if you take one of our LA tours, especially in Hollywood, you might run into a Marilyn Monroe impersonator. Marilyn symbolizes the beauty and sex appeal reserved especially for movie stars. She made dozens of films from the 1950s to ’60s, always playing the role of the “blonde bombshell.” 

Though she was adored by millions of fans, Marilyn’s life off-screen was less ideal with reports of depression and substance abuse. 

The star died at 36 due to a barbiturate overdose, which was ruled an intentional suicide though some believe she was murdered. How she died may be up for debate, but most people agree that she left us too young. And some say she never left us at all. 

Marilyn’s ghost has since been seen all around town from hotels to her own home and the cemetery where she’s buried. People often say that Marilyn Monroe is the hardest working ghost in showbiz because her spirit seems to be everywhere

Sure, not everyone believes in ghosts, but it is strange that so many people have reported seeing this particular phantom.

If you’re traveling to LA and hoping to get a glimpse, here are a few places rumored to be haunted by the famous spirit of Marilyn Monroe.

Marilyn’s Brentwood Home

Marilyn’s home in Brentwood, CA was where the silver screen beauty passed away on Aug. 5, 1962. 

Since then, her ghost has been spotted all over the property from the pool to the garden and the garage. There are even a couple eerie photographs that seem to capture a ghostlike figure wandering the estate. It’s a safe bet that the pictures still get her good side.

The Roosevelt Hotel

Opened nearly 100 years ago, in 1927, The Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood was a popular haunt (wink, wink) for celebrities in its heyday. It even hosted the first-ever Oscars ceremony in 1929. So, it’s no wonder Marilyn’s ghost may be wandering the property. 

Her ghost has a habit of appearing in a full-length mirror that was once in her room at the hotel. The mirror in question was removed from Marilyn’s room after she died and placed in the hotel manager’s office. There, a maid who was dusting the mirror reportedly saw the reflection of a sad-looking blonde. When the maid turned around to ask if she could help the woman whose reflection she thought she saw, there was nobody in the room.

While the mirror is no longer accessible to the public, you could book a stay in Marilyn’s old room hoping to spot her ghost.  If you want to get a glimpse of the historic hotel without staying overnight and learn more about its Marilyn Monroe sightings (along with learning about other celebrity ghosts around Tinseltown), consider booking our Haunted Hollywood Ghost Tour.

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Santa Monica’s Hippodrome

The Hippodrome on the Santa Monica Pier is another spot rumored to be haunted by Marilyn. She spent some time there during a photo shoot on the beach and would occasionally visit the carousel in disguise to watch the families enjoy their day. 

Legend says that if you visit the hippodrome late at night and watch the mirrors on the carousel, you can catch a glimpse of Marilyn sitting on her favorite bench near the gift stand. There are  numerous reports of Marilyn showing up in the mirrors… but maybe she was so pretty, the mirrors simply can’t forget her image.

Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery

It seems only fitting, doesn’t it, that a ghost might linger around their grave? Marilyn’s presence has reportedly been felt and seen around her crypt at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery. 

The Marilyn-linked stories have included visitors reporting the sounds of soft crying, as well as appearances of unusual flashes of light. Still others have said they felt someone brushing past them when visiting the icon’s crypt or have observed a delicate pink mist around her crypt.

How to meet Marilyn

Chasing Marilyn’s ghost isn’t the only way to experience a little bit of her magic when visiting Hollywood. There are many other locations around the city that were part of Marilyn’s life, as well as venues where her legacy lives on.

At the Hollywood Museum (which is housed in the historic Max Factor building), you can explore an extensive collection of Marilyn’s personal effects, ranging from childhood photographs to the million-dollar dress she wore while honeymooning with baseball legend Joe DiMaggio. As an interesting historical footnote, it was in the Max Factor building that the legendary Max Factor, a cosmetician and wig maker, designed Marilyn’s iconic on-screen hair and coloring.

If you’d like to dine in a place Marilyn was known to frequent, head to the Formosa Cafe. Opened in 1939, the cafe is across from what used to be the legendary Samuel Goldwyn studio. Thanks to its prime, studio-adjacent location, the cafe not only served Marilyn, but also a long list of other Hollywood legends, including Frank Sinatra, Humphrey Bogart and James Dean in the early days. History buffs will also enjoy the fact that the cafe is housed in a red trolley car dating back to 1904.

Another stop on the Marilyn Monroe foodie list, swing by Barney’s Beanery in West Hollywood to indulge in some of its classic chili. Marilyn was a big fan of the chili herself and regularly ordered it during the filming of “Some Like it Hot.” And she’s not the Hollywood icon who loved the chili. Clark Gable, Marlon Brando were regular customers.

Want to snap a selfie with Marilyn? Join our Hollywood Stars VIP tour of Madame Tussauds, where you’ll see the famous blonde actress along with many other icons of the past and present.

You can also visit her star on the Walk of Fame, one of our stops on our LA highlights tour.

And for a true Marilyn Monroe getaway, book a stay in The Marilyn cottage at The Charlie Hotel. The West Hollywood hotel, made up of a cluster of bungalows, was once the residence of legendary silent film actor Charlie Chaplin. And when owned by Chaplin, many of his actor friends would stay here, including Marilyn. During the 1940s, she lived in the two-bedroom cottage that now bears her name.

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More things to do in Hollywood

If you’ve had your fill of celebrity-related explorations, take some time to experience a few other beloved sights in Hollywood. Don’t miss highlights like the Griffith Observatory and taking in a show at the legendary Hollywood Bowl.

For a more active option, we love Runyon Canyon, a 160-acre park that residents flock to because it’s dog-friendly, and our guided hike to a view of the Hollywood Sign. But even in these two parks, it’s not unusual to spot a celebrity or two — except in this case, the celebrities won’t be ghosts.