Suicidal Marilyn Monroe letter sells with 212% increase

A letter, handwritten by a suicidal Marilyn Monroe, has sold for $156,000 at Profiles in History.

May 30 saw the letter, scrawled across Hotel Bel-Air stationary in Monroe's curling script, bring a 212% increase on its $50,000 estimate - testament to Monroe's complex legacy as both sex siren and tragic figure.

Marilyn Monroe suicide auction
One of Marilyn's most famous shots, which has been reproduced around the world

Monroe writes to her acting coach Lee Strasberg: "I'm embarrassed to start this, but thank you for understanding and having changed my life. Even though you changed it I am still lost. You once said the first time I heard you talk at the actors studio that there is only concentration between the actor and suicide. [sic]

"My will is weak but I can't stand anything. I sound crazy but I think I'm going crazy.

Monroe goes on to detail her feelings of isolation and her difficulties concentrating.

She writes: "I feel like I'm not existing in the human race at all."

Although undated, the soul searching missive is thought to have been written by Monroe shortly before her suicide in 1962.

Items relating to the life and death of Marilyn Monroe command huge sums at auction.

The video featuring Monroe smoking cannabis sold for �165,250 ($250,000) in 2009, while the star's bra sold earlier this year for $28,125.

For more information on investing in Marilyn Monroe memorabilia, see Paul Fraser Collectibles' comprehensive market report.

View the Marilyn Monroe collectibles we currently have in stock.

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