Richard Poncher was a businessman with a very specific, and some might say creepy, final wish. He didn’t just want to be near Marilyn Monroe for eternity. He wanted to be looking at her. For over twenty years, Poncher occupied the crypt directly above the Hollywood icon at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. But he wasn't just lying there. He was positioned face down.
It sounds like an urban legend. Or maybe a scene from a dark comedy. But for Elsie Poncher, Richard’s widow, it was a literal promise she had to keep to avoid being haunted. Honestly, the story is as much about a strange obsession as it is about the weird world of celebrity death culture.
What Really Happened With Richard Poncher
In 1986, Richard Poncher was 81 and facing the end of his life. He was a successful entrepreneur who had rubbed shoulders with the elite, including Joe DiMaggio. In fact, Poncher bought the crypt from DiMaggio back in 1954 while the baseball legend was going through a messy divorce from Marilyn. Apparently, DiMaggio wanted nothing more to do with the site once the marriage crumbled.
Poncher, however, saw an opportunity. He didn't just want the prestige of the location. He wanted the view.
According to Elsie, her husband's instructions were bone-chillingly clear. He told her, "If I croak, if you don't put me upside down over Marilyn, I'll haunt you the rest of my life." He wasn't joking. When the time came, Elsie followed through. She stood by as the funeral director literally flipped her husband’s body over so he would spend forever facing the woman lying just inches beneath him.
The Logistics of a Face-Down Burial
You might wonder how this even works. Usually, people are buried face up, hands crossed, looking toward the "heavens." Flipping a body in a casket within a mausoleum crypt is a physical task that most morticians would find highly unusual. But in the 1980s, and with a grieving widow insisting on a specific deathbed request, it happened.
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The crypts at Westwood Village are stacked. They are essentially marble drawers. By being in the space directly above Marilyn Monroe, Poncher was separated from her only by a thin layer of stone and the linings of their respective caskets. By being face down, he was, in his own mind, maintaining a perpetual vigil.
Why Was Richard Poncher Buried Face Down?
The primary reason was a lifelong fascination—some would call it an obsession—with Marilyn Monroe. He wanted to be "staring" at her for all of time. It’s a bit of a grim thought when you realize we are talking about two remains in boxes, but for Poncher, the symbolism was everything.
He wasn't the only one with this idea. Hugh Hefner famously bought the crypt right next to Marilyn for $75,000 in 1992. Hefner wanted to be next to his first Playboy cover girl. But Poncher took it a step further by insisting on the physical orientation of his body.
A Debt and a Famous Auction
For decades, Poncher stayed put. But in 2009, the story took another turn. Elsie Poncher was facing a $1.6 million mortgage on her Beverly Hills home. She decided that her husband had spent enough time with Marilyn and that it was time for him to "move over" so she could sell the prime real estate.
She put the crypt up for auction on eBay. The starting bid? $500,000.
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The auction went viral before "going viral" was even a common term. Bidding reached a staggering $4.6 million. People from all over the world were willing to pay millions to take Poncher's place face-down (or face-up) above the world's most famous blonde.
However, the winning bidder, an anonymous person from Japan, eventually backed out. Other bidders also faded away once the media circus reached a fever pitch. Despite the multi-million dollar hype, the sale struggled to cross the finish line in the way Elsie had hoped.
The Reality of Westwood Village Memorial Park
If you visit Westwood today, you’ll see that Marilyn’s crypt is easy to find—it’s the one covered in lipstick stains from fans kissing the marble. For a long time, Poncher was right there above her.
The cemetery itself is a tiny, hidden gem tucked behind high-rise buildings. It’s the final home for:
- Natalie Wood
- Dean Martin
- Farrah Fawcett
- Truman Capote
- Kirk Douglas
It’s a "who's who" of Hollywood history. In this context, Poncher’s request seems a little less insane and a little more like an extreme version of the status-seeking that happens in Los Angeles every day. He wanted the best seat in the house, even if the house was a mausoleum.
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Is He Still There?
There has been some conflicting information over the years about whether Poncher was eventually moved. Elsie passed away in 2014. While she had intended to move Richard to another spot in the same cemetery to make room for a buyer, the failure of the initial $4.6 million auction complicated things. For a significant period, Richard remained exactly where he wanted to be: face down, hovering over Marilyn.
It’s a story that highlights the weird intersection of celebrity, money, and the afterlife. It also serves as a reminder that even in death, some people just can't stop trying to get closer to the stars.
Actionable Insights for the Curious
If you’re interested in the strange history of celebrity burials or considering visiting Westwood Village Memorial Park, keep these points in mind:
- Respect the Space: While the "face down" story is a piece of pop culture trivia, the cemetery is a place of rest. Fans are allowed to visit, but maintaining a quiet, respectful demeanor is expected.
- Check the Layout: The "Corridor of Memories" is where Marilyn, Hefner, and the Poncher crypt are located. It’s an outdoor mausoleum wall.
- Verify Recent Sales: Crypts in this specific section still go up for sale occasionally. If you see a listing for a "crypt near Marilyn," it’s likely one of the neighboring spots originally owned by other investors or celebrities like Jerry Herman.
- Understand the "Lipstick" Rule: For years, the cemetery cleaned the lipstick off Marilyn's crypt, but fans keep coming back. It’s one of the few places where "vandalism" has become a tradition.
Richard Poncher’s story is a bizarre footnote in the legend of Marilyn Monroe. It shows how one man’s eccentric final wish turned into a multi-million dollar real estate story, proving that "location, location, location" matters just as much after you're gone as it does when you're alive.