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PEPITONE Lena

 

Date of birth : February 7, 1925, Napoli, Italy.

Date of death : June 7, 2011, New York.

Profession dressmaker and Marilyn's housekeeper.

 

Address

* 309 East 76th Street, New York.

Portrait ,;,

Story

She spent her childhood in Italy. Her father was the boss of the dockers in the harbor of Naples.

They lived in a big house, full of antique items, overlooking the Naples bay.

During her childhood, Lena attended a religious school and thought to enter a convent. But finally, she entered a couture house.

 
At the end of the Second World War, she met her future husband, Joe, a GI, half-American, half-Italian.

Joe was a flight engineer in an airline at Idlewild Airport (future Kennedy Airport).

They married in 1950 and had 2 boys, Joey and Johnny.

Previously, she had worked in a family of the uptown area on Park Avenue, where there were 3 girls debutante-aged. During the whole day, Lena Pepitone made them their dress for the presentation ball. 
When the time of the balls expired, the girls went back to Vassar Smith, a prestigious school for well-bred girls. 

She worked for Marilyn, at her New York apartment, East 57th Street, from October 1957 until her death.

When she arrived in October 1957, May Reis welcomed her and consulted her letters of reference.

She earned 150$ a week, which was much money at this era.

 Marilyn gave her the emeralds earrings offered by Frank Sinatra in 1961.

In 1979 she published an account of her life with Marilyn, mainly a collection of comments and confidences. 
Her book was criticized by some people for its slanderous approach. In spite of those critics, several Marilyn's biographies published since 1979 widely quote some passages of her book, particularly about Marilyn's reactions facing the crisis in her life, some informations that only a person who was there at the moment the events happened, could give.

 

Bibliography

"Marilyn Monroe Confidential", Lena Pepitone and William Stadiem, New York, Simon & Schuster, 1979.

« Marilyn secrète », Lena Pepitone and William Stadiem. Editions Pygmalion.

 

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