The Hollywood Sign in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles is reportedly haunted by the ghost of Peg Entwistle, a British-American actress who climbed to the top of the letter 'H' and jumped to her death on September 18, 1932, at the age of 24. Entwistle had struggled to find success in Hollywood after a promising start on Broadway, and her suicide from the sign became one of the most iconic tragic stories of the early film industry. Hikers on the trails near the sign have reported smelling a strong gardenia perfume — Entwistle's preferred scent — in areas where no flowers grow. Some have described seeing a woman in 1930s clothing standing near the base of the sign, looking upward at the letters. She appears sad and contemplative, and when observers try to approach her, she vanishes. Rangers and maintenance workers at the sign have reported hearing a woman crying at night, and some have described the feeling of overwhelming sadness that comes over them when working near the H. The sign, originally erected in 1923 as 'HOLLYWOODLAND' to advertise a real estate development, has been a symbol of both dreams and despair, and Entwistle's ghost has become inseparable from its mythology.
