As Mariah Carey delved deeper into the life of Marilyn Monroe, the more she related to the late actress. “She had a very difficult childhood, moving from one foster home to another. That was close to my story,” the singer wrote (via The Marilyn Report). “Ultimately, what I loved about Marilyn was her ability to come from nothing — to belong to no one — and evolve into a huge icon,” she continued. “I latched onto that. I believed in that.”
Ever since then, Carey has collected memorabilia connected to the actress (via Vogue), including a compact that holds a speech from the 1961 Golden Globes (via Refinery29). As Contact Music notes (via Mariah Carey Archives), she’s also been given items relating to Monroe, including a replica of her “leaning board” from Adam Sandler in 2008. “When actresses of the day had to be sewn into costumes they had to use a leaning board,” Carey explained. “Adam had one from an old movie and I really liked it, so he had another one made in pink and sent it to me.”
But the most prized possession of Carey’s Monroe collection is a baby grand piano that initially belonged to the actress’s mother (via The Marilyn Monroe Collection).