Hollywood’s most elite neighborhood lies not in the Hills but beyond an innocuous alley in Westwood. Here, beneath well-groomed lawns and marble facades, some of the entertainment industry’s largest stars spend forever together. And at the center of it all? Marilyn Monroe, whose pink-splattered crypt has become a hub for admirers and fellow stars alike.
Since her death in 1962, Monroe hasn’t simply become a cultural icon she’s made Westwood Village Memorial Park a pilgrimage cemetery. From brazen burial demands to sales of plots that cost millions, her influence has created the history of the cemetery in ways few might have imagined. Now, her “afterlife neighbors” are actors, musicians, and moguls, each with their own enduring tale.
Here’s a closer look at some of the most fascinating personalities who lie just steps from the blonde bombshell.
1. Hugh Hefner’s $75,000 Symbolic Spot
Playboy founder Hugh Hefner secured the crypt next to Monroe in 1992, paying $75,000 to a private seller. He told the Los Angeles Times, “Spending eternity next to Marilyn is too sweet to pass up.” The connection was deeply personal for him Monroe’s unauthorized nude images launched the first issue of Playboy in 1953, a move that helped build his empire.
Monroe herself never met Hefner and never agreed to the magazine’s publication of her photos. She had received only $50 for the original photo shoot in 1948, money she needed to keep up on a car payment. Years later, Hefner’s interment next to her is one of Westwood’s most sensationalized pairings part Hollywood romance, part controversy.
2. Richard Poncher’s Upside-Down Wish
Businessman Richard Poncher purchased the crypt above Monroe from Joe DiMaggio during the baseball great’s divorce. His last request? To be buried face down, “over Marilyn.” His widow, Elsie, remembered the funeral director turning him over in the casket to accommodate the request.
Decades later, Elsie tried to sell the space on eBay under the headline “Spend eternity directly above Marilyn Monroe,” drawing bids of as much as $4.6 million. The sale collapsed, and Poncher is still there today a bizarre, unseemly aside in Monroe’s life after death.
3. Natalie Wood’s Lasting Enigma
A short stroll away from Monroe’s crypt is Natalie Wood, West Side Story’s glamour girl whose 1981 drowning off Catalina Island is still one of Hollywood’s most controversial tragedies. Officially declared an accident, the case was reopened years later, with her then-husband Robert Wagner still listed as a suspect.
Wood’s tomb attracts people not just for her on-screen history but also for the mystery of what killed her. Her presence there lends a note of intrigue to a cemetery already full of Hollywood legend.
4. Dean Martin, the ‘King of Cool
Singer and actor Dean Martin lies in the Sanctuary of Love area, where fans like to leave little tokens. With his smooth singing and Rat Pack suave, Martin’s life involved music, movies, and television.
Nearby on the lawn is his second wife, Jeanne Biegger, a death-time separation that echoes their life-time divorce. Martin’s grave is a shrine for Rat Pack fans, one of the destinations they must see on a tour of Westwood’s celebrity-sprinkled world.
5. Truman Capote’s Divided Ashes
Truman Capote, author of Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood, is in the niche with his good friend Joanne Carson. He only left part of his ashes here the rest were retained by loved ones, pilfered once, and subsequently auctioned for $43,750.
Capote’s last resting place is as out of the ordinary as his existence, a combination of literary fame and offbeat posthumous escapades that make his Westwood niche a tale in itself.
6. Farrah Fawcett’s Elegant Legacy
Charlie’s Angels legend Farrah Fawcett passed away in 2009 following a much-publicized struggle against cancer. Her feathered locks and radiant smile turned her into one of the most familiar faces of the 1970s.
In Westwood, her burial site lies within the cemetery’s newer, more upscale section testament that even in death she still ranked among Hollywood’s upper echelon.
7. Rodney Dangerfield’s Last Laugh
Humorist Rodney Dangerfield, famous for his self-deprecating wit, left behind one last punch line on his tombstone. Famous for using the catchphrase “I can’t get no respect,” he guaranteed his comedy would continue to entertain passersby who pause to read his epitaph.
His humor brings humor to Westwood’s blend of tragedy and glamour, reminding audiences that comedy can be timeless.
8. Frank Zappa’s Unmarked Rebellion
Singer and satirist Frank Zappa lies at Westwood, but his name is not found on a marker. In keeping with his nonconformist nature, his grave is unmarked, trying to blend in like one of the landscape features as a refusal of the celebrity spectacle.
For followers, discovering Zappa’s grave is part of the experience a respectful tip of the hat to an artist who always did things his own way.
Westwood Village Memorial Park is not just a cemetery it’s an abridged history of Hollywood, as brought to life by the lives and legacies of its inhabitants. From Monroe’s lasting beauty to Zappa’s subtle departure, every grave has a story to tell that goes beyond the screen or stage. For those who go, it’s not so much about paying their respects; it’s about strolling through a living record of popular culture, where celebrity, intrigue, and personality remain long after the last curtain.
