Marilyn Monroe. Rudolph Valentino. Celebrity ghosts you might see in Hollywood during spooky season

Welcome to Spooky LA, where for the next four days we’ll be shining a flashlight on terrifying history and hauntings throughout Los Angeles.

To that end, we asked experts to help us understand Los Angeles’ spooky history. In today’s debut, Hadley Meares takes us through Hollywood, where celebrity ghost sightings are both disturbing and good for business.

Why are we obsessed with Hollywood ghosts?

In this life, parting with loved ones can be difficult, and maybe that’s why we like to believe that their spirit is with us. This may also apply to celebrities we come into contact with.

“I think we create these stories to keep a part of them to ourselves and feel like we can still have an exciting, personal relationship like when you get an autograph or meet a celebrity in the wild,” Meares said.

The Holy Grail of ghosts

Meares called one particular spirit the holy grail of spirits. Can you guess?

I’ll give you a hint. Diamonds are this spirit’s best friend.

Yes. Marilyn Monroe.

Her story is tragic – she died at the age of 32 from a fatal overdose at her home in Brentwood on August 5, 1962.

Meares said Monroe is reported to be frequently seen throughout Los Angeles, from restrooms to hotels.

“Marilyn was reportedly seen sitting wistfully on a bench at the Hippodrome on the Santa Monica Pier. She is said to be looking in a full-length mirror and checking her face at the Roosevelt Hotel, where she was also seen dancing, Meares said.

There have been other reported sightings of Monroe at the former Hollywood Knickerbocker Hotel and in a mirror at the El Capitan Theater. Meares said her favorite Marilyn sighting story involves her final resting place.

“Marilyn can be seen at her grave in the beautiful Westwood Memorial Cemetery, where her grave is said to be sometimes surrounded by a faint pink mist that can be seen,” Meares said.

Where the ghost of Rudolph Valentino likes to hang around

Rudolph Valentino is another Hollywood star whose life was cut short at the age of 31. The Italian actor nicknamed “The Latin Lover” died on August 23, 1926 of pleurisy.

He was seen at his Beverly Hills mansion called Falcon Lair. The property is also reportedly haunted by a later resident, heiress Doris Duke.

“It is said that socialite Millicent Rogers claimed that Valentino’s ghost even chased her out of Falcon Lair one evening,” Meares said.

Other places his ghost reportedly visited include the former Hollywood Knickerbocker Hotel, his beach house on Hollywood Beach, the Alexandra Hotel, Musso and Frank Grill’s bathroom, and his old apartment now called Valentino Place in Hollywood. He has also been seen at Paramount Studios and at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where, according to Meares, “the lady in black comes every year to pay her respects.”

Meares said not only is Valentino popping up all over Hollywood, but so is his furry friend.

“His beloved dog Kabar is said to still howl for his missing owner,” Meares said, “both at Falcon Lair and at the fascinating Los Angeles Pet Cemetery in Calabasas. And that is where Kabar is buried.

That’s it for the most popular celebrity ghost stories. Come back tomorrow as we explore the Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles and the heartbreakingly tragic case of Elisa Lam. You can read more about other top celebrity ghost sightings by Hadley Meares Here.