Sale of crypt next to Monroe falls through

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- A dozen multimillion-dollar bids for a Los Angeles crypt directly above that of Marilyn Monroe have all fallen through, the seller says.

"They were all phony-balonies," said Elsie Poncher, who put the crypt that holds the remains of her husband, Richard, up for auction on eBay.

The winning bid from Japan was $4.6 million and there were 11 other bids of at least $4.5 million. All of them backed out, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday. No one even offered to pay the $500,000 minimum, the newspaper said.

Poncher's husband had bought the crypt directly above the one holding the U.S. movie actress's remains at Pierce Bros. Westwood Village Memorial Park decades ago from baseball great Joe DiMaggio, who was divorced from Monroe.

Poncher, who intended to move her husband's remains once the sale was consummated, said she wasn't sure what she was going to do next.