Sometime, usually well after the age when we first marveled at Dorothy’s bravery in the face of the Wicked Witch of the West in Oz, we find out that the actress behind the Kansas character had her own cast of real-life demons that eventually got the better of her.  After five marriages, three children and a lifetime of bitter battles with movie studio executives and her own substance addictions, Judy Garland died of a barbituate overdose at age 47 in 1969.

Now, a small pill box from the dresser of the London apartment where she passed (replete with a notarized letter from her late husband Mickey Deans vouching for its authenticity) is up for auction on eBay – a gruesome artifact of one of Hollywood’s most notoriously painful biographies.

The folklore attached to Garland’s passing is rich and colorful, including the rumor that a tornado blew through Kansas on the day she died. A public viewing of her body, clad in a silver lamé gown and protected by a sneeze guard, drew 21,000 fans.

It’s the subject of some debate, but urban lore suggests that a gathering in honor of Garland’s death was part of the setting of the Stonewall riots, which marked the beginning of the modern gay and lesbian rights movement. Whether or not “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” was playing on the jukebox when the police raided the bar is questionable, but the riots certainly did take place on the day of Garland’s funeral.

With a minimum offer of $3,895 and three days before closing, the auction has no bids so far.

Visit the auction for Judy Garland’s pill box.

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