I stumbled upon Marilyn Monroe’s crypt in the midst of the pandemic and was struck by an unexpected sight: fresh lipstick kisses marking her final resting place at a time when much of the world was keeping six feet apart. Who were these people, and what drew them to Marilyn in a moment when human connection had become so elusive?
Knowing little about Marilyn beyond her fame, I began photographing and interviewing the people who came to visit her grave. Their stories revealed something I hadn’t expected. Again and again, people spoke not simply of Marilyn the movie star, but of Marilyn the person—and how her life, her struggles, and her extraordinary spirit had helped them navigate some of their own darkest moments. I discovered that it was often her personal story, rather than her stardom, that made her so enduringly powerful.
Many visitors saw their own childhood traumas reflected in Marilyn’s experiences with adoption and foster care. Others embraced her as a civil rights icon, finding in her legacy a source of solidarity and inspiration for Black and LGBTQ+ communities. Across generations and continents, people were finding deeply personal meaning in a woman they had never known.
In Australia, Marilyn has become a symbol of resilience and hope in the fight against cancer. The people featured on this book’s cover aren’t look-alikes; they dress as Marilyn to raise funds and awareness for cancer research, support, and prevention. For them, embodying Marilyn is a way to transform adversity into action.
Meanwhile, in Palm Springs, California, a towering 26-foot sculpture of Marilyn was installed in an effort to revive the city’s flagging tourist economy. I spent a week documenting its installation, capturing the spectacle and the people surrounding it as temperatures soared to a record 122 degrees.
This book is the culmination of six years of research, photography, and conversations—with people who knew Marilyn personally and with those whose lives have been touched by her in profoundly intimate ways. What began as a chance encounter at a gravesite grew into an exploration of an unexpected legacy: a woman whose influence reaches far beyond the screen.
From a quiet gravesite in Los Angeles to a towering sculpture in Palm Springs and cancer fundraisers in Australia, I discovered a legacy far more intimate than Hollywood mythology.
Marilyn Monroe continues to inspire not simply because of who she was to the world, but because of what her life has come to mean to so many individuals.
This is not simply a book about Marilyn Monroe. It is a book about the people who see something of themselves in her—and the extraordinary power of one woman’s life to inspire others.
Excerpted from Marilyn Forever!: Marilyn Monroe – A Symbol of Hope Copyright (c) 2026 by Amy Stanford Gaskin. Used with permission of the author. All rights reserved.
