Prior to his passing, Hugh Hefner revealed the ‘symbolic’ rationale behind his decision to spend $75,000 to be buried in the plot next to Marilyn Monroe. This choice is deeply connected to the contentious debut issue of Playboy.

In 1962, Monroe tragically passed away at the age of 36 due to an overdose, and she was laid to rest at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.
One might assume she had some connection to Hefner – whose legacy continues to evoke controversy even posthumously – given her provocative Playboy cover in 1953. But the pair never met.
The reason behind Hefner’s burial next to Monroe lies in the profound impact her cover had on his trajectory.

Her nude photo kickstarted Hefner’s journey to becoming a multimillionaire. However, Monroe never received direct compensation, nor did she personally consent to her images being featured in the magazine. In her book, Marilyn: Her Life in Her Own Words, she lamented, “I never even received a thank you from all those who made millions off a nude Marilyn photograph. I even had to buy a copy of the magazine to see myself in it.”
She further recalled, “I admitted it was me who posed for that nude calendar even when the Fox executives became nervous and believed this would cause the ruination of any films I would appear in and also the end of my movie career. Of course they were wrong. The fans, my public, cheered when I admitted it was me, and that calendar and that Playboy first-issue publicity helped my career.”

Monroe later disclosed that she received a mere $50 modeling fee when she signed the contract, relinquishing any rights she had to the photographs. Perhaps Hefner’s $75,000 investment for a crypt beside hers was a homage to his beginnings?
However, upon learning that the Playboy Mansion owner would be buried next to the actress, many were appalled and felt that he was exploiting her, even in death.
Hefner, who passed away in 2017 at the age of 91, discussed his decision to be laid to rest next to Monroe in a 2009 interview with the Los Angeles Times. He expressed, “I’m a believer in things symbolic. Spending eternity next to Marilyn is too sweet to pass up.”

However, this decision sparked outrage among many. Monroe impersonator Suzie Kennedy shared her sentiments with The Mirror, expressing a mix of emotions. She remarked, “It is so bittersweet for me, this whole Playboy thing. I will tell you why because Marilyn Monroe was never ashamed of her body, which I love. I love that she was never ashamed of her sexuality and she was never ashamed when they tried to shame her about those nude pictures. But what makes me sad is that it made Playboy and it made Hugh Hefner, and he never paid her. He never even met her or gave her the grace… and on top of that, he is buried next to her and it is like he benefited from her liberation. She was never ashamed of what she did – so it is bittersweet for me. Women should not be ashamed of anything they have done in their lives or of their bodies but it is sad that a man had to capitalize from it and make money from it.”