Marilyn Monroe collection damaged in deluge

METROPOLIS -- Officials at the Americana Hollywood Museum in southern Illinois are assessing the damage after memorabilia including Marilyn Monroe's birth and death certificates was soaked by a burst water pipe.

Owner Jim Hambrick says the Metropolis museum may remain closed for weeks. He says a pipe broke Saturday on the building's second floor, in a room dedicated to Monroe.

Water gushed for a day and a half as repair crews searched for the source of the leak.

Caught in the deluge were vintage magazines, dresses worn by film stars, and items bearing Monroe's signature, including a canceled check and original movie posters.

Fifty-five-year-old Hambrick says he began collecting the memorabilia at age 5. He puts the cost of damages at more than $100,000.