When Hollywood stars score leading roles in box-office blockbusters or musicians make it big
with a series of number-one singles, we typically assume that they are set for life when it comes
to their finances. We get this idealized mental image of them spending the remainder of their
days sipping on fancy mix drinks with those little paper umbrellas on private beaches and whipping
around town in their fancy-schmancy vehicles. These kind of celebs are showered with praise
and admiration by the media and their fan bases and take on this almost legendary status. So,
it's absolutely shocking when they end up broke as a joke and not able to cover their bills.
Yes, even the rich and famous can experience financial hardship. Sometimes
stars simply blow through all of their money while others invest in risky business ventures
that end up ultimately depleting their bank accounts. Today's video is going to be covering
several stars who would be up broke and destitute at the time of their deaths.
Our first star is famous for penning the lyrics and writing the music for what's
been called the greatest R&B album of all time.
Marvin Gaye
This singer-songwriter definitely knew how to write chart-topping hit singles, and his
album “What's Going On”, routinely shows up in the top positions of lists of the best albums
in musical history. Even though he was a gifted musical artist who developed a devoted following,
managing his personal finances wasn't exactly one of his strong suits.
The bulk of his royalties went towards his two failed marriages,
and Gaye found himself haunted by his tax troubles which at one point sent him into
exile in Europe. In order for Marvin to pay the 600 grand that he owed his wife in alimony,
he had to sign away the rights to his album, Here, My Dear.
Troubles followed him seemingly wherever he went, and to cope, he turned to drugs
and alcohol. These vices likewise didn't do much to help his financial situation.
On April 1, 1984, Gaye got involved in a fight between his parents in which things took a
violent turn when his father, Marvin Gay Sr, shot him twice in the chest. The first shot, which
pierced his heart, proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead just minutes after the shooting.
Marvin was penniless, with a mountain of debt when he died just one day before his 45th birthday.
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Judy Garland
Everyone knows that growing up as a former child star is rough
business. The beloved actress who starred in The Wizard of Oz fell into alcoholism and
drug abuse in her later years. Ultimately she ended up dying of an intentional drug
overdose when she was just 47 years old. When she passed away, she was millions of dollars in debt.
She was so broke that Frank Sinatra even had to cover the bill for her funeral expenses.
While Garland was once one of the biggest stars of her day,
financial mismanagement and embezzlement depleted her bank accounts. By the late 1940s,
any money she had was already gone, and she owed the IRS hundreds of thousands of dollars
in back taxes. This led her to be on the brink of homelessness, forcing her to sing at bars
for reportedly just $100 a day to make ends meet. Before she finally succeeded in killing herself,
Garland had previously made several suicide attempts, and much like Marvin Gaye,
the only way she knew how to ease her troubled mind was through substance abuse.
Veronica Lake
After finding initial success in Hollywood, Lake's fortune was squandered by mental illness
and several failed marriages. Even though she was significantly compensated for her iconic
role in Sulivan's Travels and made a great bit more as a pin-up girl, that stream of success
eventually ran dry. Much like so many other stars who finally threw away their fortunes by living
a life of excess and hedonism, Lake depleted her cash pile while blowing money on frivolous
things and alcohol. When she died at 50 years old, she lived in poverty without a dime to her name.
Gary Colemon
If you ever watched any of our videos covering Gary Colemon's tragic life
story, then you already know just how much of a train wreck in slow motion
it was. He was handed his first breakout role appearing on the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, and
although he was once NBC's highest-paid comedic actor, he would up having to sue his parents,
lawyers, and agents for grossly mismanaging his finances. After taking the matter to court, he was
awarded a $1.3 million settlement, but a string of bad luck, health issues, and questionable
investments eventually forced him into bankruptcy. In the end, he became desperate for work
and took just about any role that came his way, regardless of how awful or demeaning it was. When
he died at the age of 42, he had basically nothing left to his name.
Billie Holiday
Widely considered one of the greatest jazz singers of all time,
Billie Holiday's tragic life was marred by disaster and controversy. Her personal life
was particularly turbulent which led her to turn to alcohol and drugs for solace. Being often
blitzed out of her mind, her promoters and managers would routinely rip her off,
robbing her of what little money she earned in her later years. When she passed
away from cirrhosis of the liver in 1959, she reportedly only had $750 in her bank account.
Bobby Driscoll
Being one of the most famous child actors of the 40s and 50s, Driscoll appeared in hundreds
of films and enjoyed a great deal of success thanks to his lucrative contract with Disney.
By the mid-50s, however, Hollywood turned its back on him after Bobby fell into drug addiction.
Driscoll was hopelessly reliant upon narcotics and eventually found himself in jail for his
substance abuse issues. This prevented him from landing any more parts, be it on TV or in films.
He spent most of his latter years drifting around attempting to revive his career in the
Big Apple. Sadly, he died at the relatively young age of 31 in an abandoned building where he was
squatting. He was absolutely broke, and when his body was discovered,
he was found lying on a dirty cot surrounded by empty beer bottles.
A post-mortem examination determined that he died from
heart failure likely caused by his years of drug use.
Andy Gibb
This star, who was reportedly millions of dollars in debt at
the time of his death, was the youngest of the three band members that made up the Bee Gees.
He experienced a bit of success as a solo musician, but that was sadly short-lived.
Depression and substance abuse led to many lost opportunities which in turn only fueled
his binges even more. The young singer died bankrupt, drowning under an ocean of debt,
at the age of 30 from myocarditis caused by his many years of stimulant drug use.
Anita Ekberg
If you've ever seen Fredrico Fellini's La
Dolce Vita, then you're probably familiar with who Anita Ekberg is.
Ekberg was an Italian actress who was born in Sweden and rose to fame in the
50s and 60s for being a blonde bombshell with looks to kill.
In 1951, she was signed to Universal after competing in the Miss Universe competition.
Some of her biggest films saw her starring alongside Hollywood hunks such as John Waye,
Jerry Lewis, and Dean Martin.
In her later years, her life was anything but glamorous.
She apparently lost all of her money to thieves, a house fire, and medical expenses.
She was reportedly living in poverty in Italy
in her final days while applying to the charitable Fellini Foundation trying to
receive some financial assistance. She died broke and destitute in 2011 at the age of 83.
Mickey Rooney
This actor's career in show business spanned nine decades.
Rooney starred in hundreds of films throughout his prolific career, including the megahit
Breakfast at Tiffanys. Laurence Olvier once called him the 'best there has ever been',
but at the time of his death, he was absolutely penniless.
Rooney battled with alcoholism and was addicted to prescription narcotics. The actor also had
a propensity for getting himself into loveless marriages. In total, he was married eight times.
Despite having a largely successful career in the limelight, which banked him millions of dollars,
Rooney was forced into bankruptcy in 1962 due to severe financial mismanagement.
The actor's woes took a dark turn in 2014,
shortly before his death at 93. Mickey ended up testifying before congress that several
members of his family were exploiting him and also physically abusing him.
At his death, he owed thousands in medical bills and back taxes. His multi-million dollar estate
had been diminished to just $18,000 which fell to his stepson. There wasn't even enough cash
to cover Rooney's funeral expenses, so the family took to soliciting the public for contributions.
Dana Plato
In addition to the sad tale of Gary Colemon, Diff'rent Strokes,
produced another particularly tragic trainwreck of a life story. In fact,
fans of the series have begun to speculate that there might even be a Diff'rent Strokes cure'.
Dana Plato played the character, Kimberly Drummond, in the series.
And for a while, it looked as if her career would only
continue to grow and expand. But of course, things didn't actually play out that way.
Plato struggled with drug and alcohol dependency at an extremely young age,
and had already OD'd by the time she was 14.
After departing Diff'rent Strokes, Plato's mother passed away, and she parted ways with
her long-time lover. In a state of desperation and utter despair, Plato signed over power of
attorney to a sketchy accountant who ended up stealing most of her money.
The accountant skipped town and was never seen or heard from again. Plato
claims that he stole $11 million of other wealthy people's money as well.
After losing it all, Plato was forced to work menial
jobs and even robbed a video store with a BB gun.
When all of her options dried up, Plato appeared in adult videos to make ends
meet before overdosing and dying in her Winnebego RV in 1999 at the age of 34.
That about wraps up this video, but can you think of any other stars
who died in poverty? Let us know in the comments.
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