Woman Pawns Eternity with Marilyn Monroe

(CBS)  Anyone interested in spending eternity with Marilyn Monroe may get a shot at doing so if they have at least $500,000 burning a hole in their pocket.

A Beverly Hills woman whose late husband resides in the crypt above Monroe's is selling the space in order to pay off her million-dollar mortgage, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Elsie Poncher, whose husband, Richard, purchased the crypt from Monroe's ex-husband and baseball legend Joe DiMaggio in 1954 when the star couple divorced, she told the Times.

Poncher plans to start bidding on the crypt at $500,000 on eBay, she said. Her mortgage on her Beverly Hills home stands at $1.6 million. "I can't be more honest than that. I want to leave it free and clear for my kids," Poncher said of her motivation for selling her husband's soon-to-be former resting place.

Whoever does win the crypt may also end up with Playboy founder Hugh Hefner as a neighbor, who bought the spot next to Monroe's in 1992 for $75,000, the Times notes.

"I'm a believer in things symbolic," Hefner said. "Spending eternity next to Marilyn is too sweet to pass up."

[hellosopo]

What a nice wife.

[antoniof123]

How dumb because that is the great equilize DEATH.

There is no escape from it.

[the_majesty]

I will give an opening bid of $1,000,000.00 ....

[dnamj]

That's a smart sell. Someone will buy that for sure.

[tammydel2009]

How romantic! One rotting body next to another - a half million - what a bargain! Sick wasteful people!

[dronemonk]

Poor use of the word "pawn". She's not pawning the plot, she's selling it outright.

[amulette]

If her husband bought it and is buried there and thats where he wanted to be,it seems wrong and disrespectful to move him and resell it.With all the crazy laws out there I'm very surprised there isn't one against this.

[mottasa-2009]

Hmmm. On top of Marilyn? Does that mean if you buy the crypt that you can place your casket upside-down in it?

[Give_me_a_break]

Oh yeah, and like the price of one grave plot is going to pay to feed them all! We will always have hungry people in the world no matter what. It is this lady's right to sell this and pay off her home if she wants to. It does belong to her after all.

[fleabag75]

,,,,,,,,,, and to think that at this very moment 1 billion people in this world are literally starving to death! God bless America.