The sale of the crypt had attracted worldwide attention after Poncher placed it on the online marketplace with a starting bid of $500,000.

'Here is a once in a lifetime and into eternity opportunity to spend your eternal days directly above Marilyn Monroe,' Poncher's eBay ad stated. 'In fact the person occupying the address right now is looking face down on her.'

The winning bidder will also have the honour of being buried next to Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who bought an adjacent tomb.

Other neighbours in the cemetery include actresses Natalie Wood and Donna Reed, musicians Buddy Rich and Frank Zappa, filmmakers Billy Wilder and Darryl F Zanuck, and writers Sidney Sheldon and Truman Capote.