Even now, decades after her death, everyone knows who Marilyn Monroe is. Millennials still love her films and style themselves after Monroe, one of the first iconic models-turned-actresses. It seems she really will live on forever. Just recently, some of Monroe’s hair sold for big bucks, showing just how fans are willing to pay for a bit of the star’s history…
Marilyn Monroe Meets Her Stylist
When they hear that someone recently bought some of Marylin Monroe’s hair, they will ask the same question: how did it survive this long? Well, that story begins back in 1958, when Monore met her favorite stylist of all time, Kenneth Battelle. Pictured above with a model, Mr. Battelle worked with some of the most celebrated celebrities of the time, including Jackie Kennedy, Lee Radziwill, Judy Garland, and Audrey Hepburn. That’s quite the resume!
After a terrible bleaching incident, Monroe went to Battelle, who managed to fix it. From there on out, he became her permanent stylist. He did her hair for all of the Some Like It Hot shoot, as well as for JFK’s infamous birthday celebration in 1962, where she sang “Happy Birthday To You.” Battelle worked with Monroe until her passing, and unfortunately died himself in 2013. But all that time, he had something from the late great star. A lock of her hair…
Battelle’s Respect For Marilyn Monroe
Battelle wasn’t just a stylist to Monroe, he was also a huge fan. He felt he truly understood his celebrity client. “Marilyn was very vulnerable – the kindest, sweetest, most generous person I’ve ever known, period,” he said in 2003. “And I don’t mean generous with gifts. I mean generosity of spirit. That’s why she was slapped down all the time, always getting hurt.”
Battelle also frequently commented on her fan base, stating how Monore struggled with her impressive image in movies, music, and media. “Anyway, I went to help her make her exit from the hospital. She simply told me, ‘I want to look good.’ When she came outside, I was absolutely staggered by the way her fans behaved. It was as if they owned her – as if she belonged to them. But Marilyn had that ability to make her movie audiences believe she would leap out of the screen and sit on their laps.”
“She said she was fearful of publicity. I don’t really know what she had in mind. Still, since I was doing both Marilyn and Mrs. Kennedy at the same time, I imagine it was about that,” Battelle stated about her rumored relationship with John F. Kennedy. So, Monroe’s hair wasn’t just a treasure he ever intended to sell, but something reminding him of their marvelous friendship.
The Worth Of Icon’s Hair
While Battelle never intended to sell Monroe’s hair, after his death, his family thought it should go to a true fan. The hairs themselves are 60 years old, dated June 14, 1959. Autograph dealers Moment in Time sold the hairs for a whopping $16,500 at auction. The approximately 35 strands of Marilyn Monroe’s hair came in a beautiful glass box with a photograph of the superstar in it.
The price might shock you, but serious Marilyn Monroe fans are willing to pay just about anything for a piece of her history. Dresses, autographs, and many other Monroe pieces have regularly sold at auction for thousands of dollars!
Sources: FoxNews, TradingBlvd.