Marilyn Monroe did not spend money after her death in 1962. The phrase is figurative: her estate passed to named beneficiaries, later generated film royalties, and became part of commercial use of her name and image. The surviving account figures are brief snapshots, not a complete statement of her wealth.
What did Marilyn Monroe have in her bank accounts near the end of her life?
The Marilyn Monroe Collection describes a 99-page archive of account reports covering January 1 through August 3, 1962, for City National Bank and Irving Trust Company. Its summary reports these balances:
| Bank | August 1, 1962 | August 3, 1962 |
|---|---|---|
| City National Bank | $1,337.53 | Overdraft of $4,208.34 |
| Irving Trust Company | $1,472.41 | $111.71 |
These are figures reported by the collection from the archived statements, not a full balance sheet. They do not establish Monroe’s total assets, debts, or net worth at death.
Who inherited under Monroe’s will?
The Ninth Circuit’s account of the will describes three provisions:
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- Private secretary May Reis was to receive $40,000 or 25% of the total remainder, whichever was less.
- Psychiatrist Dr. Marianne Kris was to receive 25% of the balance for psychiatric institutions or groups she selected.
- Lee Strasberg was to receive the rest.
The will’s allocations should not be confused with the bank snapshots: the latter do not show the total estate or determine the value of each beneficiary’s share.
How did the estate interests pass to later owners?
Kris left her share to the Hampstead Child-Therapy Clinic, now the Anna Freud Centre. Strasberg left his share to his wife, Anna Strasberg. According to the Ninth Circuit’s probate-history account, the Surrogate’s Court settled the estate in 2001 and authorized transfer of the remaining assets to Marilyn Monroe LLC. The LLC’s members were Anna Strasberg (75%) and the Anna Freud Centre (25%).
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How did Monroe generate money after her death?
Film royalties
The Ninth Circuit opinion says Monroe’s estate received royalties under film profit-participation agreements. That is income to the estate from contractual arrangements; it is separate from the money in Monroe’s personal bank accounts in 1962.
Historical earnings estimate
The court opinion also cited Forbes’ estimate that Monroe earned $27 million in 2011 on its list of the highest-earning deceased celebrities. That is a dated estimate for that year, not a current annual income figure or a measure of cash she personally held when she died.
Commercial use of her name and image
The Atlantic reported that Monroe’s name was being used to market lipstick and that Authentic Brands Group reportedly bought her publicity rights in 2011 for $20 million to $30 million. The reported transaction price does not establish present licensing terms or current revenue.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What did the publicity-rights court case decide?
In 2012, the Ninth Circuit held that Marilyn Monroe LLC was judicially estopped from claiming that Monroe was domiciled in California after the estate had repeatedly represented New York domicile in probate and tax proceedings. The court concluded New York law applied and that the LLC could not enforce a posthumous publicity right through Monroe’s will in that case.
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This was a ruling tied to the parties’ prior representations, the proceedings, and the law applied by that court. It should not be read as a universal rule for every jurisdiction or as a statement of all current publicity-rights law.
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