Nostalgia
Marilyn Monroe Revealed How She Really Felt About Singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to JFK Weeks Before Her Death
Just weeks before her tragic death in 1962, Marilyn Monroe sat down with Life magazine editor Richard Meryman for what would become one of her final interviews.
More than 60 years later, Meryman’s full account appears in the upcoming book Marilyn: The Lost Photographs, the Last Interview, due out on Tuesday, May 12.
According to an excerpt published by People on Thursday, May 7, Monroe reflected on her iconic performance of “Happy Birthday” for then-president John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962.
![A historic and iconic window poster from John F. Kennedy's legendary birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden, held on May 19, 1962, is going under the hammer. , The extraordinary piece of memorabilia, best remembered for Marilyn Monroe's unforgettable serenade to President Kennedy while donning her famous sheer dress, is set to be auctioned at Nate D Sanders Auctions on October 26, 2023.?Monroe sang ?Happy Birthday Mr. President.? Monroe's dress designed by Jean Louis was a true marvel, embodying elegance and allure. Crafted from marquisette fabric, it was designed with painstaking attention to detail. The dress's sheer quality, combined with its flesh-colored tone, lent an air of sensuality and sophistication, making it a symbol of timeless beauty., What set this dress apart, however, was the breathtaking adornment of 2,500 rhinestones. Each one was carefully hand-sewn into the fabric, creating a mesmerizing shimmer that captivated the audience and has continued to captivate admirers of Monroe and fashion connoisseurs alike., The dress was famously tight-fitting, so much so that Monroe encountered challenges when putting it on. What adds to its legend is the revelation that she wore nothing underneath, which only served to amplify the dress's seductive charm., This highly sought-after letterpress poster, mounted on board, proudly promotes "The Most Exciting Program Ever Staged!" featuring stellar performances by Marilyn Monroe and other renowned artists. The poster, measuring 13.875 inches by 20 inches, is artfully rendered in patriotic red, white, and blue hues and prominently features a photograph of President Kennedy at the top. A union bug is elegantly positioned at the lower right corner, just as originally designed.?Bidding began at $25,000. 25 Oct 2023 Pictured: A historic and iconic window poster from John F. Kennedy's legendary birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden, held on May 19, 1962, is being auctioned at Nate D Sanders Auctions on October 26, 2023. Photo credit: Nate D Sanders Auctions/ MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA1050183_001.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]](https://closerweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/MEGA1050183_001-scaled.jpg)
“I thought, I’ll sing this song if it’s the last thing I ever do,” she continued. “And not only just for the president, but for all the people.”
After the performance, Monroe attended a reception where she briefly crossed paths with Robert F. Kennedy as rumors about her relationship with JFK continued to circulate publicly, per People.
“I had met the attorney general briefly, so it was good to see a smiling, friendly face,” she said.
Monroe also shared a personal memory from the evening involving her ex-husband Arthur Miller‘s father, Isidore Miller, whom she brought to the event.
“He came here an immigrant, and I thought this would be the biggest thing in his life,” Monroe said in the interview, per People.
“I thought it would be something he could tell his grandchildren about. So instead of saying, ‘How do you do, Mr. President?’ I said, ‘This is my former father-in-law, Isidore Miller.'”
Elsewhere in the interview, the Some Like It Hot actress spoke candidly about fame and the burden of being viewed as a Hollywood fantasy.
“That’s the trouble — a sex symbol becomes a thing,” she said. “I just hate to be a thing.”
She later compared fame to “caviar.”
“It’s good to have caviar, but if you had it every damn day, you know?” Monroe said with a laugh. “Too much caviar.”
Before they wrapped, Monroe left Meryman with her most personal thoughts.
![-Three Day Auction Event Closes with Historic Collection of Hugh Hefner & Marilyn Monroe , Marilyn Monroe?s pink Pucci dress sold for $325,000 sets new world record for Pucci dress sold at auction , -Burial crypt near Marilyn Monroe?s and Hugh Hefner?s final resting places - Sold for $195,000 , -Marilyn Monroe?s ?the seven year itch? black cellophane gown - Sold for $127,000, -Marilyn Monroe Grave marker - Sold for Nearly $90,000, Astounding 44 X Its Estimate, -Jean Louis Cocktail Dress worn by Marilyn Monroe for The Misfits Press Conference , Sold for $65,000, -Marilyn Monroe?s custom shade Elizabeth Arden Lipstick - Sold for Astounding $65,000, 9 X Its Estimate Making it the Second Highest Selling Lipstick Sold at Auction History, -Letter to Marilyn Monroe from Jean Smith, Rose and Joseph Kennedy?s Daughter - Sold for $28,575, -Annotated Scripts of Monroe?s Final Films The Misfits and Something's Got To Give, There's No Business Like Show Business Costume, Joe DiMaggio and Monroe Passport Photos, Checkbook, Furniture Receipt Realized Top Prices , -Plus, All of Hugh Hefner?s Items Including Burgundy Smoking Jacket Ensemble and Tobacco Pipe and Chicago Playboy Mansion Circular Bed Sold , -Collection of the Three American Icons Brought Together for the First Time in Auction History Draws Bidders from Each Continent, , , Julien's Auctions concluded today ?ICONS: playboy, Hugh hefner X Marilyn Monroe? Thursday, March 28th, Friday, March 29th and Saturday, March 30th with a grand finale presentation of iconic items from Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner live in front of an audience of bidders at NYA Studios East in Hollywood, attracting over eight thousand bids online, and on the phone, from countries across each continent such as the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Mexico, Monaco, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Germany, and Hong Kong. , , Though the two Hollywood icons remarkably never met, Hugh Hefner's and Marilyn Monroe?s legacies became inextricably linked when Monroe appeared in Hefner?s inaugural 1953 issue of Playboy. In that moment, they gained worldwide fame becoming two important figures of twentieth-century America and Playboy establishing itself as an iconic global brand., , The three American icons were brought together for the first time in auction history with over 600 historical items including wardrobe, costumes, production documents, furniture, jewelry, artwork, personal effects and beyond sold across the three-day auction event that netted $4 million total and a new world record. , , This weekend, many important pieces from Marilyn Monroe?s life and career lit up the auction podium with the screen siren turning heads once again with her pink Pucci long-sleeved dress of silk jersey which sold for $325,000, the top selling lot of the event that set a new world record for most expensive Pucci dress sold at auction., , This afternoon, the one-space mausoleum crypt at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park & Mortuary in Los Angeles, California near the final side by side resting places of Hugh Hefner and Marilyn Monroe sold for $195,000, as well as a grave marker from Marilyn Monroe's crypt (as constant touching from fan pilgrimages has led to minor wear causing it to be replaced as needed) sold for an astonishing $88,900 forty-four times its estimate of $2,000., , The crypt and other auction items were sold to Anthony Jabin a tech investor from Beverly Hills, California who commented,? I?ve always dreamt of being next to Marilyn Monroe for the rest of my life. And I bought Hugh Hefner's round bed and Marilyn Monroe's bathing suit at Julien's this weekend.?, , Monroe?s The Seven Year Itch costume? a Mae West-inspired black and cellophane effect evening gown designed by legendary costume designer William Travilla worn by Monroe in the classic 1955 film?s dream sequence scene, which was later cut from the film?sold for $127,000. , , An original Jean Louis painted cream/beige silk jersey cocktail dress worn by Marilyn Monroe for The Misfits cast press conference in the summer of 1960 sold for $65,000, well over its estimate of $40,000., , Marilyn Monroe?s custom shade of Elizabeth Arden lipstick in a goldtone case with typewritten label reading "Orange Pink like Miss I./ sample 05022/ May 2, 1960" sold for an incredible $65,000, nine times its estimate of $7,000, making it the second highest selling lipstick in auction history., , A three-piece bathing suit ensemble custom-made for Marilyn Monroe to wear in the 1954 musical There's No Business Like Show Business that Sir Elton John donated to a charity auction in 1990 sold for $29,250, nearly five times its estimate of $6,000. , , A lavender satin, boned leotard costume worn by Marilyn Monroe as Lillian Russell for a pictorial feature in the December 22, 1958 issue of Life magazine, photographed by Richard Avedon also stole the spotlight for $29,250. Monroe also dressed as Theda Bara, Clara Bow, Jean Harlow, and Marlene Dietrich for this series of photographs. , , An artist proof print featuring an image of Marilyn Monroe from Tom Kelley's famous 1948 Red Velvet photo session initialed by Hugh Hefner "HMH," with "A/P" sold for an astonishing $15,875, nearly twenty-seven times its estimate of $600. , , A letter from Jean Smith, one of the children to Rose and Joseph Kennedy and sister to John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and four other siblings that reads: "Dear Marilyn - Mother asked me to write and thank you for your sweet note to Daddy - He really enjoyed it and you were very cute to send it. / Understand that you and Bobby are the new item! We all think you should come with him when he comes back east! Again thanks for the note. / Love, Jean Smith" sold for $28,575, seven times its estimate of $4,000., , Items from Monroe?s last films made its way to the auction podium including her personal annotated script sides to The Misfits ($22,750, four and half times its estimate of $5,000) and her annotated script to her final uncompleted film Something's Got To Give ($57,150, over estimate of $20,000) and her handwritten notes to the script ($25,400, over its estimate of $10,000)., , Other Marilyn highlights sold today included: a shadowbox frame containing Marilyn Monroe?s black lace and satin under-wire bra with lace cups ($11,700, nearly six times its estimate of $2,000). 02 Apr 2024 Pictured: LOCAL CAPTION: Playboy-Marilyn-cover. The ?ICONS: Playboy, Hugh hefner X Marilyn Monroe? auction netted a total $4million in sales after a three day event that concluded March 30, 2024. Photo credit: Julien's Auctions/ MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA1119105_034.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]-Three Day Auction Event Closes with Historic Collection of Hugh Hefner & Marilyn Monroe , Marilyn Monroe?s pink Pucci dress sold for $325,000 sets new world record for Pucci dress sold at auction , -Burial crypt near Marilyn Monroe?s and Hugh Hefner?s final resting places - Sold for $195,000 , -Marilyn Monroe?s ?the seven year itch? black cellophane gown - Sold for $127,000, -Marilyn Monroe Grave marker - Sold for Nearly $90,000, Astounding 44 X Its Estimate, -Jean Louis Cocktail Dress worn by Marilyn Monroe for The Misfits Press Conference , Sold for $65,000, -Marilyn Monroe?s custom shade Elizabeth Arden Lipstick - Sold for Astounding $65,000, 9 X Its Estimate Making it the Second Highest Selling Lipstick Sold at Auction History, -Letter to Marilyn Monroe from Jean Smith, Rose and Joseph Kennedy?s Daughter - Sold for $28,575, -Annotated Scripts of Monroe?s Final Films The Misfits and Something's Got To Give, There's No Business Like Show Business Costume, Joe DiMaggio and Monroe Passport Photos, Checkbook, Furniture Receipt Realized Top Prices , -Plus, All of Hugh Hefner?s Items Including Burgundy Smoking Jacket Ensemble and Tobacco Pipe and Chicago Playboy Mansion Circular Bed Sold , -Collection of the Three American Icons Brought Together for the First Time in Auction History Draws Bidders from Each Continent, , , Julien's Auctions concluded today ?ICONS: playboy, Hugh hefner X Marilyn Monroe? Thursday, March 28th, Friday, March 29th and Saturday, March 30th with a grand finale presentation of iconic items from Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner live in front of an audience of bidders at NYA Studios East in Hollywood, attracting over eight thousand bids online, and on the phone, from countries across each continent such as the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Mexico, Monaco, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Germany, and Hong Kong. , , Though the two Hollywood icons remarkably never met, Hugh Hefner's and Marilyn Monroe?s legacies became inextricably linked when Monroe appeared in Hefner?s inaugural 1953 issue of Playboy. In that moment, they gained worldwide fame becoming two important figures of twentieth-century America and Playboy establishing itself as an iconic global brand., , The three American icons were brought together for the first time in auction history with over 600 historical items including wardrobe, costumes, production documents, furniture, jewelry, artwork, personal effects and beyond sold across the three-day auction event that netted $4 million total and a new world record. , , This weekend, many important pieces from Marilyn Monroe?s life and career lit up the auction podium with the screen siren turning heads once again with her pink Pucci long-sleeved dress of silk jersey which sold for $325,000, the top selling lot of the event that set a new world record for most expensive Pucci dress sold at auction., , This afternoon, the one-space mausoleum crypt at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park & Mortuary in Los Angeles, California near the final side by side resting places of Hugh Hefner and Marilyn Monroe sold for $195,000, as well as a grave marker from Marilyn Monroe's crypt (as constant touching from fan pilgrimages has led to minor wear causing it to be replaced as needed) sold for an astonishing $88,900 forty-four times its estimate of $2,000., , The crypt and other auction items were sold to Anthony Jabin a tech investor from Beverly Hills, California who commented,? I?ve always dreamt of being next to Marilyn Monroe for the rest of my life. And I bought Hugh Hefner's round bed and Marilyn Monroe's bathing suit at Julien's this weekend.?, , Monroe?s The Seven Year Itch costume? a Mae West-inspired black and cellophane effect evening gown designed by legendary costume designer William Travilla worn by Monroe in the classic 1955 film?s dream sequence scene, which was later cut from the film?sold for $127,000. , , An original Jean Louis painted cream/beige silk jersey cocktail dress worn by Marilyn Monroe for The Misfits cast press conference in the summer of 1960 sold for $65,000, well over its estimate of $40,000., , Marilyn Monroe?s custom shade of Elizabeth Arden lipstick in a goldtone case with typewritten label reading "Orange Pink like Miss I./ sample 05022/ May 2, 1960" sold for an incredible $65,000, nine times its estimate of $7,000, making it the second highest selling lipstick in auction history., , A three-piece bathing suit ensemble custom-made for Marilyn Monroe to wear in the 1954 musical There's No Business Like Show Business that Sir Elton John donated to a charity auction in 1990 sold for $29,250, nearly five times its estimate of $6,000. , , A lavender satin, boned leotard costume worn by Marilyn Monroe as Lillian Russell for a pictorial feature in the December 22, 1958 issue of Life magazine, photographed by Richard Avedon also stole the spotlight for $29,250. Monroe also dressed as Theda Bara, Clara Bow, Jean Harlow, and Marlene Dietrich for this series of photographs. , , An artist proof print featuring an image of Marilyn Monroe from Tom Kelley's famous 1948 Red Velvet photo session initialed by Hugh Hefner "HMH," with "A/P" sold for an astonishing $15,875, nearly twenty-seven times its estimate of $600. , , A letter from Jean Smith, one of the children to Rose and Joseph Kennedy and sister to John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and four other siblings that reads: "Dear Marilyn - Mother asked me to write and thank you for your sweet note to Daddy - He really enjoyed it and you were very cute to send it. / Understand that you and Bobby are the new item! We all think you should come with him when he comes back east! Again thanks for the note. / Love, Jean Smith" sold for $28,575, seven times its estimate of $4,000., , Items from Monroe?s last films made its way to the auction podium including her personal annotated script sides to The Misfits ($22,750, four and half times its estimate of $5,000) and her annotated script to her final uncompleted film Something's Got To Give ($57,150, over estimate of $20,000) and her handwritten notes to the script ($25,400, over its estimate of $10,000)., , Other Marilyn highlights sold today included: a shadowbox frame containing Marilyn Monroe?s black lace and satin under-wire bra with lace cups ($11,700, nearly six times its estimate of $2,000). 02 Apr 2024 Pictured: LOCAL CAPTION: Playboy-Marilyn-cover. The ?ICONS: Playboy, Hugh hefner X Marilyn Monroe? auction netted a total $4million in sales after a three day event that concluded March 30, 2024. Photo credit: Julien's Auctions/ MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA1119105_034.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]](https://closerweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/MEGA1119105_034.jpg)
“I hope to ultimately be able, through my work, to illuminate for some people some things I’ve learned. Maybe it’s just a dream. But I’m also entitled to my dreams.”
Monroe was 36 years old when she died of a drug overdose that was ruled a probable suicide on Sunday, August 4, 1962, per History. The interview was published shortly before her death.
The book’s release arrives just ahead of what would be Monroe’s 100th birthday on June 1.
