A number of headlines this week claim that a Palm Springs home currently for sale once belonged to Marilyn Monroe. The property at 1326 N. Rose Avenue in the Vista Las Palmas neighborhood is being marketed as her “former home,” and some reports even state that she owned it shortly before her death.
But claims about celebrity homes require documentation, and in this case, no verifiable evidence has surfaced showing that Marilyn Monroe ever owned this property.
In fact, many news articles are relying on vague wording such as “it is said that Marilyn Monroe lived here,” which reflects longstanding Palm Springs lore rather than documented ownership.
I’ve conducted extensive research. The house was built in 1961. No property records tying Marilyn Monroe to the home have been found.
What is very well documented is Marilyn Monroe’s purchase of 12305 Fifth Helena Drive in Brentwood in January 1962, the only home she is widely known to have owned in her lifetime.
On a personal note, I own Marilyn Monroe’s personal financial records covering January through August 1962.
These documents record her January 1962 deposit on the Brentwood property, along with her ongoing income and expenses for the final eight months of her life. There is no reference in these records to the purchase of a home in Palm Springs.
As someone who owns and researches various documents from Marilyn Monroe’s files and archival materials, I have learned that many long-repeated stories about her life simply do not hold up when examined against the historical record. This is yet another example.
Palm Springs certainly played a role in Marilyn’s life, and she visited the area over the years. But historical connections and real estate ownership are not the same thing.
In Marilyn Monroe history, association is not ownership. Documentation is what matters.
