The gown worn by Marilyn Monroe when she serenaded US president John F. Kennedy on his birthday sold at auction for a record-breaking $4.8 million to Edward Meyer, vice president of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not.
The actress sang “Happy Birthday” to Kennedy while wearing the tight, flesh-colored and crystal encrusted gown in 1962. The dress had been expected to sell for $3 million, but exceeded the original assessment by more than 150 percent.
According to the Daily Mail, Meyer described the dress as “the most iconic piece of pop culture that there is.”
The auction beat a record set by the sale of another of Marilyn’s dresses — her white costume from The Seven Year Itch, which sold for $4.6million in 2011.
“In the 20th century I cannot think of one single item that tells the story of the 1960s as well as this dress. It’s a new world record for a dress,” Meyer said.
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The Daily Mail said the custom-made Jean Louis gown was so tight that Monroe had to be sewn into it before she performed for Kennedy ahead of his 40th birthday.
She was found dead less than three months later, aged 36, of a suspected overdose.
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