The Hollywood Sign and the Spirit of Peg Entwistle

Posted: 03.11.2025 | Updated: 03.11.2025

Still standing resolutely despite California’s relentless wildfires, the Hollywood sign persists as a monument to the enduring nature of Tinseltown. To many Los Angeles residents, the sign holds significant meaning. For some, it represents the glittering film industry and all who aspire to achieve success within it. But to others, it stands as a testament to Hollywood’s culture and everlasting legacy. 

To a few, however, it exists only as a reminder of unfulfilled dreams. One such spirit adopted this sentiment, for whom the Hollywood sign was the last place they saw alive. Continue reading to unearth the tragic tale behind this Hollywood landmark and the eerie hauntings that continue.

In search of even more tales of haunted Hollywood history? To hear more legends surrounding La La Land’s tragic past in person, book a ghost tour with LA Ghosts. 

Is The Hollywood Sign Haunted? 

According to personal accounts from those hiking the area, the Hollywood sign is soundly haunted, with multiple sightings of a strange and silent blond woman appearing over the years. Who is this chilling figure? The iconic sign is said to be haunted by the spirit of Peg Entwistle, a disheartened actress who died by suicide, jumping from the top of the letter “H” in the 1930s. 

The Lesser Known History of the Hollywood Sign

The Hollywood sign, which just recently celebrated its centennial, has a strange past. Although it is now considered a glamorous symbol of the film industry, this emblem of Hollywood’s endless opportunities did not always hold such status. 

In all actuality, this famous sign was never intended to be a permanent fixture in Los Angeles. Instead, it originated as an advertisement to draw attention to a housing development nestled in the Hollywood Hills. However, it was quite an expensive advertisement totaling $21,000 to construct. 

Built in 1923, the sign originally read “Hollywoodland,” featuring thirteen letters, each 30 feet wide and over 40 feet tall. Constructed from metal squares and held together by scaffolding, wires, pipes, and poles, the once-illuminated sign lit up at night, blinking the word “Holly,” followed by “wood,” and then “land.”

In 1944, the housing development that erected the Hollywoodland sign folded, and the ownership of the Hollywoodland sign was transferred to the city of Los Angeles. In 1949, the sign almost saw its end. The letters had fallen into disrepair, losing an “H” and becoming weathered by wind and sun. Debate ensued about whether the sign should simply be demolished. Fortunately, they elected to restore it. 

In 1949, they removed the word “land” from the sign amidst repairs paid for by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. The “H” was rebuilt, and the letters became a new sort of advertisement: one that touted the allure of Hollywood itself. 

In 1978, the sign again fell into a state of rust and neglect, yet was saved by an unlikely hero. Hugh Heffner held a fundraiser to construct an entirely new sign, replacing the much-damaged original. The sign endures today as a cultural attraction. Yet like any beautiful monument, it also contains a darker side. 

How Many People Have Jumped Off the Hollywood Sign?

How many Hollywood sign deaths have there been? So far, there has only been one confirmed death at this Hollywood landmark, that of Peg Entwistle, who leaped from the letter “H” in 1932. Despite this, there is no shortage of strange happenings surrounding this famous landmark.

Many have sighted a female figure, dressed as though from the 1930s, roving the area surrounding the sign. Visitors have also experienced cold spots, strange sensations, or unexplained sounds. Others have had more harrowing accounts. 

According to one tale, a group of friends hiking up to the sign at night reported sighting a veiled woman in a white dress wearing heels. She silently pursued them on the path, never speaking, while her footfalls elicited no sound. 

Terrified upon seeing her face, the group of friends ran, descending the hill rapidly, falling in their desperate attempts to get away. The strange, speechless figure stalked them until they reached the fence line down the hill as if chasing them from the property. 

Those who have found themselves hiking in Griffith Park near the famous landmark on Mount Lee have related tales of this female spirit floating or gliding down the paths, often when the terrain is obscured in fog. They sometimes report the scent of gardenias, Entwistle’s favorite perfume, wafting across the air despite these flowers not growing nearby. 

Peg Entwistle: “The Hollywood Sign Girl”

Despite the gloom of the Great Depression, many found themselves flocking to Los Angeles in the 1930s, hoping to begin a burgeoning new career in show business. Small-town and renowned theater actors looking to transition from the small stage to the big screen gave Hollywood their all.

British actress Peg Entwistle was one such Hollywood hopeful whose dreams would be shattered by this glittering city. Entwistle first moved to New York in 1912, where she initiated her Broadway career.

Entwistle relocated to Los Angeles in 1931, hoping to make the leap to cinema. She likely thought her big break was on the horizon when she acquired a contract with RKO, eventually leading her to land a role in a 1932 film entitled Thirteen Women.

Sadly, many of Entwistle’s scenes never made the film’s final cut, and RKO subsequently dropped their contract with her. Entwistle took this rejection as a sign of failure and seemed to deem any further aspirations of an acting career futile. 

It was a Friday on September 16th, 1932, when Peg Entwistle trekked her way to the Hollywood sign and scaled the height of the sign’s first letter. From here, she jumped, cutting short her young life at 24. 

A hiker came upon her purse, coat, and a shoe the next day, leading to the discovery of her body. Inside the purse was a suicide note, which read: “I am afraid I am a coward. I am sorry for everything. If I had done this a long time ago, it would have saved a lot of pain. P.E.”

As her heartbreaking story garnered local attention, tabloid papers referred to her as “The Hollywood Sign Girl,” remembered solely for her shocking and somber end. 

What To Do In Hollywood

Ever since Entwistle’s death, the sign has taken on a more mysterious reputation, tinging its meaning with a darker tone. Ghost stories soon emerged in the 1940s following the unexplained collapsing of the “H” from which Entwistle dove. They continue to this day, with hikers spying a blond woman along the various paths.

Although no tours currently take you to this iconic sign, you can embark on several hikes that offer views of the haunting landmark, including the 3-mile-long Cahuenga Peak Trail and the 6-mile-long Brush Canyon Trail. 

Looking for a less intensive trek? Join a ghost tour with LA Ghosts and experience even more of haunted Hollywood’s ghost stories, from the sinister to the scintillating.

Keep reading on our blog to indulge in more tales of La La Land’s dark and mysterious past. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok to learn about all of our haunted offerings across America. 

Sources:

• https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/10/hollywood-sign-haunted
• https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/04/hollywood-sign-100-timeline-history
• https://lawire.com/the-haunted-history-of-the-hollywood-sign/
• https://www.syfy.com/paranormal-witness/season-2/blogs/episode-recap-hollywood-sign-hauntingthe-good-skeleton
• https://www.weekendsherpa.com/stories/haunted-hike-to-the-hollywood-sign
• https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/hollywood-suicide-peg-entwistle
• https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a32343331/who-is-peg-entwistle
• https://www.hollywoodsign.org/hiking