01/06/2026
100 years old today, and still one the most magnetic people who ever lived.
This video shows my collection of Marilyn Monroe pictures and books.
What fascinates me in the woman who tried to overcome all the odds. For instance, not many people know that Norma Jeane Mortenson spent much of her childhood in institutional and foster care. Her mother, Gladys Baker, was mentally unstable and was committed to a psychiatric institution when Marilyn was around seven years old. Her father was absent.
Behind the glamour and the myths was a kind, gentle, vulnerable and courageous woman. She was intelligent, and grounded. She fought until the end, and she left an impact she never even knew she had. There wasn't, and never will be, another Marilyn Monroe.
Happy 100th birthday, Norma Jeane. You live on in more hearts than you ever knew. I hope people start seeing you for who you truly were, not just the myth.
#1926