• A rare collection of personal belongings linked to the Hollywood icon goes under the hammer
• Private documents reveal previously unseen details about her emotional struggles and inner life

A US auction house is preparing to offer a collection of personal items once owned by late Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe, giving the public a rare look into her private world through an auction featuring clothing, jewelry, letters, handwritten notes, artwork, and poetry.

Brian Chanes, senior director of Hollywood and entertainment at the auction house, said Monroe “remains a global icon to this day,” adding that audiences “still love and admire her decades later.”

Born Norma Jeane Mortenson in Los Angeles in 1926, Monroe became one of Hollywood’s most celebrated actresses, singers, and models before her death in 1962.

The auction, scheduled for June 1 to coincide with what would have been her 100th birthday, includes items dating from 1955 to 1962. Many of the belongings came from the estate of poets Norman and Hedda Rosten, who were among Monroe’s closest friends.

Some of the documents, being shown publicly for the first time, shed light on deeply personal aspects of her life, including romantic relationships, fears surrounding a past pregnancy loss, and her thoughts about death.

Chanes described the material as “entirely new discoveries,” saying the collection offers a far more intimate portrait of Monroe’s inner world.

The auction also features correspondence from her former husband, playwright Arthur Miller, revealing the emotional complexity of their relationship, along with an unpublished letter from her psychiatrist describing the period shortly before her death.

Among the standout items is a note Monroe wrote while filming Some Like It Hot, in which she appeared to plead for help as mounting pressure threatened the production.

Chanes said Monroe wrote at one point, “I feel like I’m drowning,” reflecting the emotional distress she experienced shortly before her collapse.

He added that the sketches and handwritten notes she left behind reveal the depth of her psychological struggles and highlight the challenges she faced throughout her career.