From the beginning, there was a lot of tension in Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe’s relationship. During the time that they were dating, when they were at the height of their popularity, they were subjected to an excessive amount of scrutiny. Marilyn was a famous actress who was in high demand, and he used to play center field for the New York Yankees. In January 1954, they exchanged vows to show that they were serious about being together. But after only a few short months of marriage, they split up. However, the beginning of their legendary love story does not occur until a long time later. After they got married and went their separate ways, that was just the start. The two people who used to be in the band Rebel Stars got their relationship off to a fast start by getting married in secret at San Francisco City Hall.
I don’t think it was a surprise at all,
said Jerry Coleman, one of Joe DiMaggio’s Yankee teammates, according to PBS.
The greatest woman in the world and the greatest guy in the world. It was a perfect match.
On the other hand, the fact that he was so possessive was what led to the end of their marriage. Donald Spoto, who wrote her biography, says that he didn’t even want her to be in the famous scene from The Seven Year Itch where she wears a white dress and stands on a subway grate. The event was set up to get her more attention, and a lot of people came to watch her in New York City. Soon after that, they went their separate ways because they had very different ideas about the world.
She got sick more than once soon after the divorce was finalized, and he was always there to take care of her in the hospital. In February 1961, she was sent to a mental hospital against her will. He was the first person to go to her aid. When she was finally given to him to take care of, she called him “my hero.” They became friends again in the last years of her life, and she knew she could always count on him to be there for her. He wanted to marry her again, but she died too soon.
Even though they had gone in different directions with their lives, they stayed friends. Marilyn once told him that if it weren’t for him, she probably would have died a long time ago.
If it weren’t for Joe, I’d probably have killed myself years ago,
Marilyn Monroe told a friend before passing away in 1962, reported New York Post.
Her body was found in her home, and he was the only person there who could claim her as his own. He flew from New York to Los Angeles, where he found her body, identified it, and then held a small funeral for her in private. Joe even made the gravestone. He was unable to find any solace or comfort while attending the funeral, according to Independent.
He was overheard murmuring, “I love you, I love you,” in a tone that was almost reminiscent of a sigh of regret. It was certain that they would lose contact with one another forever. But he kept a promise that she had stolen from him in the past. She told him a long time ago that she wanted to get roses every week, and he’s been keeping his promise ever since. He kept doing this until the year 1999 when he died. Several times a week, he took bouquets of fresh roses to her grave. She had said,
Six fresh long-stemmed red roses, three times a week … forever.
His life was profoundly altered by the news of her passing.
I’ll go to the grave regretting and blaming myself for what happened to her,
Joe DiMaggio told Dr. Rock Positano, according to the book, Dinner with DiMaggio: Memories of an American Hero that he co-authored, as reported by People.
Sinatra told me later that ‘Marilyn loved me anyway, to the end.
Even as he lay there on his deathbed, he was unable to shake the image of her from his mind.
I’ll finally get to see Marilyn again,
were his parting words.
This kind of love is very rare, and you almost never see it. She was his one and only love, and he was happy to remember the time they spent together right up until the moment he died. People are left with little choice but to hold out hope that they will, at some point in their lives, experience love comparable to that.
