Joe DiMaggio, Marilyn Monroe's Marriage License Sold for $122,500 at Auction
The marriage license of MLB Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio and Hollywood starlet Marilyn Monroe sold at auction for $122,500 on Sunday, according to Darren Rovell of ESPN.
The pair were married for just nine months in 1954.
DiMaggio remains one of the greatest center fielders in baseball history. In 13 MLB seasons—he lost 1943-45 to military service—he hit .325, with 2,214 hits, 361 home runs and 1,537 RBI. He was a three-time MVP, nine-time World Series champion and most famously set an MLB record by getting a hit in 56 straight games in 1941.
He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1955.
His relationship with Monroe was allegedly far stormier than his playing career, however, and even abusive, as Maureen Callahan of the New York Post wrote in 2014:
"The marriage had ground rules: DiMaggio had to approve all of her future films. Monroe was never to be semi-dressed. She had to break out of her 'dumb blonde' typecasting—a point she agreed with. But she wasn't to outshine him. When she did, he'd sleep in another bedroom and go days without speaking to her.
"All of this began on their honeymoon, and in weeks, when DiMaggio felt he was losing control of her, he beat her more than once."
Monroe eventually filed for divorce, citing "mental cruelty." The pair reportedly remained friends up until Monroe's death in 1962, and DiMaggio granted a wish of hers by having roses delivered to her grave twice a week, per Callahan.
