Marilyn Monroe And Ella Fitzgerald's Intimate Relationship Finally Comes To Light

Marilyn Monroe's exploits have become the stuff of legend. However, not every aspect of her personal life made headlines, especially certain friendships that Marilyn struck up behind closed doors. In the early 1950s, she bonded with this up-and-coming entertainer. That relationship turned out to be a turning point in both of their careers. Show business was never quite the same.

Blonde bombshell

As the quintessential blonde bombshell, Marilyn Monroe had no trouble making audience's heads explode. But as much as she loved performing, both on stage and screen, she had other passions that kept her busy.

Theater fan

Marilyn didn't just love entertainment; she lived it. The Some Like It Hot star frequented theaters and nightclubs whenever she got the chance and, just like her character, had a particular soft spot for jazz.

Appreciating Ella

She had a good ear for it, too. By the early 1950s, Marilyn's impressive record collection introduced her to the genius of Ella Fitzgerald. She wasn't yet a household name, but that didn't deter the starlet from going to see her in person.

The meeting

After one show, a mutual acquaintance introduced Ella and Marilyn. They immediately hit it off. Monroe was delighted to connect on a personal level with such an immense talent, as she gushed, "I love her as a person as well as a singer. I think she's the greatest."

Common ties

Besides their shared appreciation for jazz, the two women had a ton in common. They bonded over the difficulties of growing up during The Great Depression. Ella and Marilyn also grappled with similar instances of heartbreak.

Family struggles

Both recalled childhood struggles. After her mother died, a teenaged Ella had to flee her abusive stepfather. Authorities sent her to a strict reform school after she ended up working as a lookout for a Harlem brothel.

Orphanage trauma

Marilyn, who went by Norma Jeane as a child, had it rough too. Her single mother entered an asylum in 1934 after suffering a mental breakdown, which resulted in her daughter bouncing around from orphanage to orphanage.

Treading carefully

Then there was the fact that both weathered early marriages and divorces. As 1950s society didn't look too kindly on such behavior, Ella and Marilyn had to be careful about revealing their pasts. However, Monroe couldn't believe one thing about the jazz singer.

Career roadblock

How was Ella not more popular, she wondered? Well, Marilyn was outraged when her friend told her that the Mocambo, a famous nightclub in Hollywood, refused to book her. Fitzgerald really needed that gig to reach a wider audience.

No excuse

Racism played some role in the Mocambo's stubbornness, though they'd previously booked black entertainers like Eartha Kitt and Dorothy Dandrige. Ella's weight, according to the managers, would prevent her from attracting a big crowd.

The power of fame

That explanation broke Ella's heart and positively infuriated Marilyn. She felt sure that her friend was a sensational vocalist. Knowing she was one of the biggest stars in the world, however, the bombshell wondered if she could use her celebrity for good.

Monroe's proposal

It was no secret that Marilyn had a sort of Midas touch. Whenever she and her coterie of celebrity pals visited a new spot in Los Angeles, that venue immediately became glamorous. With that in mind, Monroe called up the Mocambo owner with an idea.

A big chance

The offer worked! The Mocambo booked Ella as a two-week headliner, on the condition that Marilyn would sit in the front row with her entire posse. Of course, it remained to be seen whether the crowd would take to Ella's unique scat stylings.

Front door

Ella was understandably nervous when the big day arrived. The club staff tried to usher her through the side door, which was designated for black patrons, but Marilyn wouldn't have any of it. The two of them entered through the front, arm in arm.

Rave reviews

Just like Monroe expected, Ella brought the house down every night during her Macambo residency. Showbiz royalty like Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland dropped in to see her, and the reviews were ecstatic. Suddenly, every theater in the U.S. wanted Ella on the bill.

Different destinies

Looking back, Fitzgerald credited that gesture for helping her nab a big break. She profusely thanked Monroe, though their friendship didn't keep up much longer. The two entertainers headed in radically different directions.

Party girl

Ella, a consummate professional, couldn't handle Marilyn's appetite for partying, drinking, and drugs. They only saw each other sporadically as the years went by, until Fitzgerald received a devastating piece of news in 1962.

Gone too soon

Marilyn's substance issues caught up with her, and she fatally overdosed in her home. Ella couldn't attend the funeral, though she wished she could. Monroe's ex-husband Joe DiMaggio barred celebrities from the ceremony to avoid a media circus.

Remembering her friend

As Ella's legend grew, she always made sure to tell fans about Marilyn's kindness. She expressed that she owed Monroe a debt, especially since the actress was so often misunderstood by the public. The bombshell had more than a few skeletons in her closet.

Mental illness

Sadly, the icon suffered from depression and mental illness. A possible schizophrenic, Marilyn would reportedly lock herself in the bathroom and stare at her reflection for hours. When asked what she was doing, the model would respond, "Looking at her."

Not a natural blonde

Although Marilyn established herself as a blonde bombshell, that's not her real hair color! A natural brunette, she experimented with a number of dyes before settling for her signature platinum blonde.

First marriage

Though her subsequent husbands were certainly more famous, Marilyn's first marriage was to sailor Jim Dougherty. She was just 16 at the time! Just a few years later, they divorced after she signed a contract with an acting agency.

Singing for JFK

When Marilyn crooned "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy, many paid more attention to her figure than her singing. The dress was so tight that it had to be sewn onto her. Years later, it sold for a record-breaking $1.2 million.

Weird diet

To preserve her famous figure, Marilyn concocted an interesting diet. This included drinking a glass of raw eggs stirred into milk for breakfast. Claiming to be "part rabbit," she also ate a ton of raw carrots each day.

Intense hygiene

A lot of hard work went into Marilyn's famous beauty. She obsessively washed her face fifteen times each day to avoid breakouts. Interestingly, the model never waxed her face. She thought her peach fuzz made her appear softer and more photogenic.

Real name

Hardcore fans know that "Marilyn Monroe" was merely a stage name, though it became her legal moniker in 1956. Her given first name was Norma Jeane, and for a while, she used her mother's surname of Baker. That's because she wasn't sure who her father was.

Absent father

Her mother, Gladys Baker, had relationships with two men at the time of Marilyn's birth. Her husband Edward Mortensen bears little resemblance to the bombshell, so many believe Gladys's dreamy-eyed beaux Stanley Gifford was her real father.

Mommy issues

One major factor behind Marilyn's choice to marry at 16 was her mother. Gladys battled serious mental illness, which often placed her in hospitals and her daughter in foster homes. Though not in good health, Gladys outlived Norma Jeane by 22 years.

Attention-grabbing scene

Marilyn's most groundbreaking moment was the Seven Year Itch scene where a subway vent blew up her skirt. Filmmakers attempted to capture it on-location in Manhattan but cheering bystanders disrupted the shoot and forced them to move to a studio.

Jealous Joe

However, her then-husband Joe DiMaggio flew off the handle when he saw the famous skirt scene. The famed slugger was viciously jealous, which contributed to their marriage lasting a mere nine months. Nevertheless, they did remain close afterward.

Always devoted

DiMaggio was one of the few friends who stayed by Marilyn's side during her troubled final years. Even after her death, the ballplayer often came to place a fresh bouquet of roses by her grave.

Millions each year

Though the sex symbol has been gone for decades, she remains immensely popular. The Curtis Management Company owns the rights to her likeness, which rakes in a cool $2 million annually. While alive, her visage was a hot commodity in film.

Breakfast at Marilyn's

If author Truman Capote had his way, Ms. Monroe would've played the lead in the film adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany's. Instead, the immortal role of Holly Golightly went to Audrey Hepburn.

Some Like It Hot

Many critics enjoyed picking apart Marilyn Monroe's acting technique, but she did garner some acclaim later in her career. Her hilarious performance in Some Like It Hot won her a Golden Globe in 1960.

Musical inspiration

As a cultural icon, Marilyn Monroe inspired a number of hit songs. These include Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" and Def Leppard's "Photograph." Of course, that's not her only famous musical moment.

Famous roommates

Most Hollywood dreamers don't make it, but these two roommates did! Before she hit it big, Marilyn shared an apartment with actress Shelley Winters, who would go on to win two Academy Awards.

Mrs. Miller

After her marriage to a sports hero, nobody expected Marilyn to wed an acclaimed playwright. But that's exactly what happened when she tied the knot with Arthur Miller. To prepare for the ceremony, Monroe also converted to Judaism.

Cemetery neighbors

A raunchy photo of Marilyn graced the first-ever cover of Playboy, but that's not the only connection she had to Hugh Hefner. As of 2017, they're buried right next to each other in Los Angeles' Westwood Village Memorial Park.

Conspiracy theory

A lethal combination of dozens of pills killed Marilyn in 1962. The most probable explanation is suicide, but some conspiracy theorists insist she was murdered to protect JFK's reputation (he was married, of course), though there is no hard evidence.

She saw “Marilyn Monroe” as a different person

According to people who knew her, the woman born Norma Jeane Mortenson considered “Marilyn Monroe” a separate personality. One story even claims that the star was walking unnoticed through New York with a friend when she said, “Do you want me to be her?” So, Monroe opened her coat and started sashaying – only to be quickly surrounded by photographers.

She was rumored to have had an affair with a woman

Monroe may have been married three times, but gossip nevertheless spread about a liaison with drama teacher Natasha Lytess –particularly when Lytess moved in with the actress. That said, in 1954 Monroe wrote in her autobiography My Story “A man who had kissed me once had said it was very possible that I was a lesbian because apparently I had no response to males… Now, having fallen in love, I knew what I was. It wasn’t a lesbian.”

People found her difficult to work with

In 2012 Monroe’s The Prince and the Showgirl co-star Jean Kent told the Daily Mail that Monroe was an unpopular “grubby, disheveled little thing” who “never arrived on time, never said a line the same way twice [and] seemed completely unable to hit her marks on the set.” Tony Curtis was famously even more damning, once claiming that kissing Monroe was like “kissing Hitler” – although he later said that he had been joking around with the harsh remark.

She hated being in front of a camera

While Monroe was frequently filmed – often in skimpy outfits – she apparently hated the experience. In 2012 her Bus Stop co-star Don Murray told the Los Angeles Times, “For somebody who the camera loved, [Monroe] was still terrified of going before the camera and broke out in a rash all over her body.”

She had plastic surgery

Even someone as naturally beautiful as Monroe couldn’t resist the lure of plastic surgery. Yes, in 1950 she had two procedures, a tip rhinoplasty and a chin implant, paid for by her agent Johnny Hyde. And many years later in 2013, her doctor’s notes about this work were put up for auction, disappointing those fans who thought that she’d never gone under the knife.

Her second wedding was ruined by the paparazzi

In 1954 Monroe tied the knot with baseball player DiMaggio in what was said to be the wedding of the year. Yet the bride didn’t actually want any attention at all. Indeed, she had attempted to keep her relationship with DiMaggio quiet, and that was similarly the case for the marriage ceremony. But, sadly, someone at her studio leaked the wedding plans, meaning fans and photographers ultimately descended upon the couple on their big day.

She strove to be a good cook

Monroe started out as a disaster in the kitchen. Apparently, on one occasion, a friend asked her to wash some lettuce for dinner – only to find the star scrubbing at the leaves with a Brillo pad. But as Monroe got older, she learned more and more; she even created her own dishes. In 2010 The New York Times tried the actress’ Thanksgiving stuffing recipe, in fact, and praised her for “cooking confidently and with flair.”

Nude photos of her circulated

Before Monroe was famous, she agreed to pose nude for $50 as she badly needed the money. Then, in later years, she hoped desperately that the snaps wouldn’t leak. When the images finally became public, though, Monroe stood up for herself. Yes, while 20th Century Fox tried to deny that it was the actress in the photos, the star conversely confirmed the news – and said she wasn’t ashamed, either.

Her notebooks contain dark insights into her personality

Monroe’s notebook entries were uncovered in 2010, and they showed the world the depths of despair she often felt. One passage reads, “I can’t really stand human beings sometimes – I know they all have their problems as I have mine – but I’m really too tired for it. Trying to understand, making allowances, seeing certain things that just weary me.”

Her corpse was covertly photographed

After Monroe died, there was a flurry of press interest – some of it downright ghoulish. For instance – and according to his own son Devik – famous photographer Leigh Wiener bribed morgue officials to gain access to Monroe’s body so that he could take snaps of the late star. Weiner died in 1993, however, and most of these secret photos have thankfully never been found.

She eventually met her half-sister

While Monroe’s half-brother, Robert, died before she could meet him, she did get to know her half-sister, Berniece. In 1938 Berniece received a letter from her mother, Gladys – whom she had previously thought dead – and it was through this that she learned of Monroe’s existence. And, in fact, the sisters remained friends for the rest of Monroe’s life, with the star sometimes sending parcels of clothes to Berniece and her daughter, Mona.

She wanted to be an actress right from childhood

Monroe’s childhood was a rough one often spent in foster homes, yet the young girl still dreamed of a future career in show business. In 1962 she told Life magazine, “When I was five, I think, that’s when I started wanting to be an actress… I didn’t like the world around me because it was kind of grim, but I loved to play house… When I heard that this was acting, I said, ‘That’s what I want to be.’”

There was an open casket at her funeral

In 2012 actress Mitzi Gaynor told the Los Angeles Times that Monroe wanted to look beautiful even in death. She added, “The paparazzi would at least see a pretty picture of her when they took her out on the gurney.” And Monroe had her wish granted at her funeral. There, she was seen in a wig, as her head had been shaved for the preceding autopsy.

Miller was disappointed in her

Famously, the Miller-Monroe marriage didn’t last. And the final nail in the coffin may have come when Monroe discovered notes written by Miller expressing disappointment in the relationship. Miller subsequently claimed that the draft was for a play, but Monroe knew better. At the time, she wrote in her diary, “I guess I have always been deeply terrified to really be someone’s wife since I know from life one cannot love another, ever.”

She was monitored by the FBI

Monroe’s left-wing views – she was pro-civil rights and a member of the Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy – made the FBI suspicious of both her and Miller. In fact, for a while, the bureau apparently monitored her to see if she was a communist, eventually concluding that she was not. So, what became of those original files? Well, they’re lost now – according to the FBI, at least.

Miller didn’t go to her funeral

Yes, Miller didn’t attend Monroe’s funeral, although this wasn’t out of malice. On the day of the ceremony, the playwright penned an essay by way of explanation, writing, “Instead of jetting to the funeral to get my picture taken, I decided to stay home and let the public mourners finish the mockery. Not that everyone there will be false, but enough. Most of them there destroyed [Marilyn], ladies and gentlemen.”

Her niece thinks her death was accidental

While the official cause of Monroe’s death is suicide, her niece, Mona, isn’t so sure. In 2012 she told the Daily Mirror, “I do not subscribe to any of these murder or suicide theories or [Monroe’s] supposed affair with President Kennedy. None of it is true. It was an accident. She had so many appointments booked. The day after she died, she was going to see producers and then a lawyer to change her will.”

She left a great deal of money to her psychoanalyst

Monroe bequeathed most of her fortune to her acting coach Lee Strasberg and her half-sister, along with a substantial sum for her mother’s care. Intriguingly, though, the actress also left 25 percent of her assets to her psychoanalyst Dr. Marianne Kris. This was despite the fact that the trust between the pair had been broken in 1961 – the year when Kris sent Monroe to a mental health institution. Perhaps, then, the star had actually envisioned changing her will before she passed away.

There’s a box of her files sealed until 2039

Some Monroe fans must eagerly await the year 2039, as that’s when a box of her private files is set to be opened. “Box 39” currently sits in a special section of the UCLA library, and it’s speculated that the documents within may finally answer the question of whether the icon intended to take her own life or not.

She wanted to be a mother

According to those who knew Monroe, the star’s biggest dream was to have a child. Indeed, in the 2018 documentary Marilyn Monroe For Sale, fellow actress Marion Collyer said, “All that Marilyn ever wanted in her life was to have a baby.” Tragically, though, the screen legend had endometriosis, and this condition may have played a part in the several miscarriages that she experienced.

She loved reading

Though Monroe often played the ditzy blonde, she was anything but. She loved to read, in fact, and her California home held over 400 books. Her interests were diverse, too, with everything from classics to gardening manuals and several first editions stacked up on the shelves. And, apparently, Monroe was reading both Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and Leo Rosten’s Captain Newman, M.D. just before she died.

She did a photoshoot in a potato sack

Supposedly, a critic once slammed Monroe by declaring that she would look better in a potato sack than a low-cut dress. Another story, on the other hand, claims someone told either the star or her producers that the actress would be beautiful even in a potato sack. But regardless of the truth of the matter, Monroe actually did do a photoshoot dressed in the makeshift garment – and remained stunning in the resulting shots, too.

The coroner couldn’t be sure that she took her own life

In 2009 Dr. Thomas Noguchi, the coroner who had performed Monroe’s autopsy, spoke to British newspaper The Daily Telegraph. And in the process, the medic revealed that while he had performed toxicology tests on the actress, he had not analyzed her internal organs. Noguchi added, “I am sure that this could have cleared up a lot of the subsequent controversy, but I didn’t follow through as I should have. I think that was a great shame.”