Goodbye, Norma Jean: Giant Marilyn Monroe Statue Dismantled in Chicago

An enormous statue of screen goddess Marilyn Monroe, which met with a chilly reaction from Chicago residents when it debuted last year in the Windy City, has been dismantled.

The 26-foot, 40,000 pound sculpture titled Forever, Marilyn by artist Seward Johnson, was modeled after the famous skirt-lifting scene featuring Monroe in the classic film The Seven Year Itch.  It received a less-than-warm response after it was revealed in Chicago's Magnificent Mile in July, 2011. Most critics derided the work of art as being tacky and the majority of local residents were not shy about voicing their negative opinions about the sculpture.

More recently, the sculpture was used more as an umbrella when scores of people would gather beneath the massive, billowing skirt to stay dry during heavy rains and storms. Thousands of photographs of large groups of people eerily staring up Marilyn's skirt became viral across the Internet.

The statue is now headed to Palm Springs, California, where the real Marilyn Monroe was discovered by a Hollywood agent.