A poignant Marilyn Monroe memento is explained by The History Blog:
Among the enormous quantities of movie and television memorabilia that will be sold at Julien’s Auctions’ Hollywood Legends sale on March 31st and April 1st will be a collection of Marilyn Monroe pictures, letters and objects from the estate of Allan “Whitey” Snyder, Marilyn’s long-time makeup artist...
Years before her death, Marilyn asked Whitey to promise her that he’d do her makeup for her funeral should she predecease him. He jokingly replied, “Sure, drop off the body while it’s still warm and I’ll do it.” Amused, Marilyn bought him a gold Tiffany money clip engraved: “Whitey Dear, While I’m still warm, Marilyn.”..
When Marilyn died in 1962, her ex-husband Joe DiMaggio took care of the funeral arrangements. He reminded Whitey of his promise and Whitey, fortified with a flask of gin, kept it. He did her makeup one last time and was one of the pallbearers.
Funnily enough, Whitey Snyder went on to do makeup for the cast of Little House on the Prarie and the woman who played Laura Ingalls, Melissa Gilbert, writes in her autobiography "Prarie Tales" that Whitey used to show her this very clip and tell her this same story. Apparently he stayed very sensitive about the subject all the rest of his life.
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