Fate of Marilyn Monroe’s LA home where she died up in the air on her 98th birthday as fires devastate neighborhood

THE battle to save the house where Marilyn Monroe was found dead has hit a roadblock after the devastating fires in Los Angeles.

The fate of the house in Brentwood has been a topic of heated debate since July 2023, when it was sold for $8.35 million.

Monroe lived in the home for six months before she died by suicide inside the house on August 4, 1962.

The one-story, Spanish-style abode switched hands 14 times in the 60 years following her death and it was remodeled multiple times.

The latest owners, real estate heiress Brinah Milstein and her TV producer husband Roy Bank, took over after buying it in July 2023.

They live next door and want to tear down Monroe's old house.

They got a demolition permit after buying it but saw their plans derailed when the city designated the home a historic cultural monument in 2024.

The owners fired back by filing a petition with Los Angeles Superior Court in May 2024.

Milstein and Bank alleged in the filing that the city violated the law when it handed out the historical recognition.

Another twist in the case came this week when the judge was forced to postpone a nonjury trial over the issue for three months.

It's been moved from March 13 to June 17 due to scheduling conflicts with the couple's attorneys.

Their lead attorney, Peter C. Sheridan, lost his Pacific Palisades home in the wildfires, Los Angeles Daily News reported.

Their other attorney also lives in Pacific Palisades - where a wildfire broke out and quickly spread, destroying at least 10,000 homes.

The couple said they're under threat of evacuation as the region is still dealing with an extreme fire risk with new blazes breaking out weekly.

Milstein and Ban have accused the city of "illegal and unconstitutional conduct" after they were blocked from demolishing the house.

They noted Monroe lived in it for just six months before her death - and that it was never deemed historic or culturally significant during six decades of ownership changes and renovations.

The couple also pointed out the city issued permits for numerous remodels without objection.

FAN OUTRAGE

Monroe, who was 36 years old when she died, would have been 98 on January 23.

Fans argue the home is a priceless part of Hollywood’s legacy that's forever tied to Monroe’s story.

She purchased the property for $75,000 in 1962, just months before her death.

As the last home Monroe ever lived in, some insist that it remains a poignant symbol of her life and career.

However, in addition to Milstein and Bank, several local groups opposed the historical designation of the Brentwood home.

These include the Brentwood Community Council, multiple homeowners associations, and the Mandeville Canyon Association.

"The city ignored all these communicated resolutions of opposition in furtherance of its singular efforts to illegally designate the property," the Bank-Milstein court papers stated.

"And, in so doing, irreparably and knowingly harm petitioners and plaintiffs."