Joe Loved Marilyn - his personal letter to her

Just thinking about Joe DiMaggio today on what would have been his 101st birthday.  I thought I would share some excerpts from this amazing letter that was auctioned off by Juliens in December 2014 for $78,000.  Joe was such a private person and never spoke of Marilyn so it is rare to get insight into his personal feelings.

A Joe DiMaggio three-page handwritten letter to Marilyn Monroe postmarked October 9, 1954. DiMaggio dates the letter as "Saturday - a.m." and greets Marilyn "Dear Baby." The letter came to Marilyn on the heels of her October 6th announcement to the press that she and DiMaggio were divorcing. In the letter DiMaggio discusses watching the announcement. The letter reads in part, "Don't know what you're thoughts are about me, - but I can tell you I love you sincerely, - way deep in my heart, irregardless of anything." Accompanied by original transmittal envelope addressed to the house the couple shared in Beverly Hills, California.

"I love you and want to be with you."

"There is nothing I would like better than to restore your confidence in me."

DiMaggio wrote in his letter that he learned Monroe was leaving him when he saw her make the announcement on television.

"My heart split even wider seeing you cry in front of all these people," he wrote in the letter addressed to "Mrs. Joe DiMaggio" and mailed special delivery.

Joe DiMaggio's Personal Notes

I was looking through the 2006 auction catalog I have for "The Joe DiMaggio Collection at Public Auction".  This is where I acquired the Korea Honeymoon Tickets.

I came across a personal notebook of Joe's.  Since he was such a private person in life it is extraordinary to get an insight like this into his feelings for Marilyn.  This was written after their divorce but it shows that Joe still hoped to make a go of it.  Here he tries to remind himself what he needs to do to win her back.

 "No jealousy.  Remember this is not your wife.  She is a fine girl and remember how unhappy you made her.  Happiness is what you strive for- for HER.  Don't talk about her business or her friends.  Be friendly towards her friends.  Don't forget how lonesome and unhappy you are - especially without her."

This really is extraordinary stuff. I had a different perspective on Joe after seeing all the personal items he had kept.  The fact that he still displayed photos of Marilyn in his home at the time of his death was incredible to learn.

Marilyn Monroe & Joe DiMaggio in Japan

I have added some wonderful articles that concentrate on Marilyn and Joe's time in Japan during their honeymoon in 1954.  This is one of my favourite times in Marilyn's life.  I love learning about details of their trip.  You can read them at the bottom of this page.

I was especially thrilled because I learned a lot about the flight that they took to Japan.  This is the same flight that I have the airplane tickets for....



These tickets were also featured in the recent book "The Marilyn Monroe Treasures".  I highly recommend this book which is currently only available through Barnes and Noble. It features reproductions of letters and other documents from Marilyn's life.  I'm so excited that I was able to share my tickets with everyone this way.