Why Marilyn Monroe Remains a Cultural Icon: How Estate Owners Transformed Her Legacy Into $80M Global Sales

Marilyn Monroe may have been gone for more than 60 years, but to Authentic Brands Group, she’s alive and well. The actress and model — who redefined glamor and sex appeal in her heyday — died of a drug overdose in August of 1962 at the age of 36, but her legacy lives on. Since 2011, the year Authentic purchased an 80 percent stake in her intellectual property, sales of product with her name on it have grown fourfold to $80 million in global sales. And with the 100th anniversary of her birth fast approaching — she was born June 1, 1926 — those numbers are expected to grow substantially as the Authentic promotional juggernaut shifts into high gear. Although Authentic also owns the rights to the estates of a number of celebrities including Elvis Presley and Muhammad Ali, Marilyn Monroe was the first. “Marilyn was the first celebrity brand that we’ve owned 100 percent of, and it really kind of set the tone for how we were going to be in this business,” said Dana Carpenter, executive vice president of entertainment for Authentic. In 2011, Authentic teamed with NECA, a global media and entertainment company, to acquire the majority stake in Marilyn

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