10 Famous People Who Died Broke
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VOICE OVER: Patrick Mealey
WRITTEN BY: George Pacheco
From beloved child stars to entertainment legends, we explore the heartbreaking stories of famous personalities who faced financial hardship in their final days. Despite their earlier success, these stars struggled with various challenges including substance abuse, mismanagement, and health issues that led to their unfortunate circumstances. Our list features iconic performers like Sammy Davis Jr., Bela Lugosi, and Veronica Lake, along with younger stars such as Corey Haim and Gary Coleman. These cautionary tales remind us how fame and fortune can be fleeting in the entertainment industry.
10 Celebrities Who Died in Poverty
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today well be discussing tragic instances where beloved or successful entertainment personalities passed away under impoverished or necessitous circumstances.
Gary Coleman
The dark side of Hollywood has been much documented over the years, including stories from the set of the sitcom Diffrent Strokes. Three of the shows young cast members endured various difficulties over the years, with both Dana Plato and Gary Coleman passing away while under financial stress. The latter filed for bankruptcy in 1999, citing many different people as being responsible for his fiscal straits. Coleman admitted his own money mismanagement as a partial cause for his insolvency, but also accused his management team, as well as his adoptive parents for problems that led to the actors eventual poverty.
Harry Nilsson
There can be a lot of reasons why a successful artist finds themselves in debt. Harry Nilsson was one of those generational songwriting talents admired by many, influencing even more throughout his career. However, the Everybodys Talkin singer also struggled with substance use. His creative output became sporadic by the time the nineties rolled around. During this time, Nilsson discovered that someone hed hired to mind his finances, Cindy Sims, had been stealing from him the whole time. Its been alleged that Harry Nilsson and his wife only had approximately $300 in the bank at the time of his discovery. The singer passed away without receiving any restitution from Sims.
Charlie Parker
Its truly a tragic loss that the jazz legend Charlie Parker only managed to see his thirty-fourth year before his death from multiple causes in 1955. A doctor-prescribed opiate for injuries Parker sustained in a 1936 car accident resulted in a lifelong struggle for the icon. Parkers mental health also suffered after losing his daughter to pneumonia. His career faltered with unreliable and erratic bookings. The jazz icons finances saw a severe downturn because of all this misfortune, and Parkers physical health showed the strain. A forensic specialist who performed an autopsy on Parker after his death allegedly (and incorrectly) placed the body at between fifty and sixty years of age.
Veronica Lake
Why are so many of us morbidly obsessed with how some of Hollywoods most beautiful people fall from grace? Theres no denying Veronica Lakes place as an icon of golden age glamor, yet her later years were tragically marked with a lot of suffering. Controversial clashes behind the scenes of her pictures led to Lake struggling to find work. She eventually turned to the realms of genre pictures of B-movie work during her later years, while also combating substance use disorder. Veronica Lake admitted to spending little time with her four children, and reportedly left behind little assets after her death from hepatitis and kidney injury in 1973.
Erin Moran
The transition from child actor to adult actor can unfortunately be difficult. Erin Moran captured the hearts of many during her run on the classic sitcom Happy Days, as well as its spin-off, Joanie Loves Chachi. Her career after this did see appearances in cult fare like 1977s Grand Theft Auto and Galaxy of Terror in 1981. However, Moran struggled to find roles through the subsequent decades and was forced to move in with her mother-in-law. Erin Moran passed away in 2017, as a result of complications from throat cancer, closing the book upon a beloved Hollywood personality that tragically fell across some hard times.
Bobby Driscoll
Many actors dream big, yet sadly never achieve their hopes of silver screen success. Bobby Driscoll will always be remembered for his voicing of Peter Pan back in 1953, after signing a contract with Walt Disney. The latter unfortunately let Driscoll go from his contract after puberty, and the young actor struggled to find roles. Substance use also followed Driscoll throughout his life, resulting in multiple arrests and incarcerations. Work occasionally found Bobby Driscoll, but financial recovery did not. The actors remains were found in a New York tenement. These actually went unidentified for over a year, eventually being interred on Hart Islands Potters Field.
Andy Gibb
It wasnt just the Bee Gees that made parents Hugh and Barbara Gibb proud. Andy Gibb achieved success in the entertainment industry, performing as a singer and actor from the late sixties into the eighties. Unfortunately, Gibb also struggled with substance use and battled depression after a breakup with actress Victoria Principal. This icon of the disco era declared bankruptcy in 1987, and tragically died at only thirty years of age, with a yearly reported income of only $8 thousand.
Bela Lugosi
This case for one of horror cinemas most celebrated icons is a bit different than most. Bela Lugosi wasnt really in want of work. He continued to act in productions right up until his death in 1956, but the Dracula star was unfortunately never one to put any of his paychecks in the bank. Lugosis substance use was well-documented. His final will and testament left only minor real estate property along with a thousand dollars in cash. It was ultimately Bela Lugosis cinematic legacy that would retain much more value, from his capes and props, to the personality rights, to his idiosyncratic portrayal of Count Dracula.
Corey Haim
One of the biggest tragedies about the loss of a young actor is this notion of performers like Corey Haim never being able to blossom into their full potential. Theres no denying the prowess displayed by Haim in films such as Lucas and The Lost Boys, but Haims substance use struggles eventually led that once-promising career into a downward spiral. The actor admirably attempted rehabilitation at multiple points in his life, but Haims lack of medical insurance resulted in a severe amount of debt. This, combined with a back tax bill allegedly approaching $200 thousand at the time of his passing, cast a large shadow over Corey Haims death in 2010.
Sammy Davis Jr.
The dissolution of Sammy Davis Jr.s marriage to actress May Britt resulted in a wandering period for the Rat Pack personality. Lifestyle experiments with Satanism became the norm for Sammy Davis Jr., alongside an extensive appetite for substances and sex. It was throat cancer that ultimately claimed the entertainment legends life in 1990, with Davis estate at the time retaining an estimated worth of around $4 million. Davis unfortunately owed over five million to the IRS, however. It was this bill that became passed down to his widow, Altovise. It took seven years for Altovise Davis to finally come to terms with her husbands debt, after a bit of financial fundraising assistance from Sammy Davis Jr.s famous friends in the industry.
How important is financial planning and foresight to you? Let us know, if you feel comfortable to do so, in the comments.
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today well be discussing tragic instances where beloved or successful entertainment personalities passed away under impoverished or necessitous circumstances.
Gary Coleman
The dark side of Hollywood has been much documented over the years, including stories from the set of the sitcom Diffrent Strokes. Three of the shows young cast members endured various difficulties over the years, with both Dana Plato and Gary Coleman passing away while under financial stress. The latter filed for bankruptcy in 1999, citing many different people as being responsible for his fiscal straits. Coleman admitted his own money mismanagement as a partial cause for his insolvency, but also accused his management team, as well as his adoptive parents for problems that led to the actors eventual poverty.
Harry Nilsson
There can be a lot of reasons why a successful artist finds themselves in debt. Harry Nilsson was one of those generational songwriting talents admired by many, influencing even more throughout his career. However, the Everybodys Talkin singer also struggled with substance use. His creative output became sporadic by the time the nineties rolled around. During this time, Nilsson discovered that someone hed hired to mind his finances, Cindy Sims, had been stealing from him the whole time. Its been alleged that Harry Nilsson and his wife only had approximately $300 in the bank at the time of his discovery. The singer passed away without receiving any restitution from Sims.
Charlie Parker
Its truly a tragic loss that the jazz legend Charlie Parker only managed to see his thirty-fourth year before his death from multiple causes in 1955. A doctor-prescribed opiate for injuries Parker sustained in a 1936 car accident resulted in a lifelong struggle for the icon. Parkers mental health also suffered after losing his daughter to pneumonia. His career faltered with unreliable and erratic bookings. The jazz icons finances saw a severe downturn because of all this misfortune, and Parkers physical health showed the strain. A forensic specialist who performed an autopsy on Parker after his death allegedly (and incorrectly) placed the body at between fifty and sixty years of age.
Veronica Lake
Why are so many of us morbidly obsessed with how some of Hollywoods most beautiful people fall from grace? Theres no denying Veronica Lakes place as an icon of golden age glamor, yet her later years were tragically marked with a lot of suffering. Controversial clashes behind the scenes of her pictures led to Lake struggling to find work. She eventually turned to the realms of genre pictures of B-movie work during her later years, while also combating substance use disorder. Veronica Lake admitted to spending little time with her four children, and reportedly left behind little assets after her death from hepatitis and kidney injury in 1973.
Erin Moran
The transition from child actor to adult actor can unfortunately be difficult. Erin Moran captured the hearts of many during her run on the classic sitcom Happy Days, as well as its spin-off, Joanie Loves Chachi. Her career after this did see appearances in cult fare like 1977s Grand Theft Auto and Galaxy of Terror in 1981. However, Moran struggled to find roles through the subsequent decades and was forced to move in with her mother-in-law. Erin Moran passed away in 2017, as a result of complications from throat cancer, closing the book upon a beloved Hollywood personality that tragically fell across some hard times.
Bobby Driscoll
Many actors dream big, yet sadly never achieve their hopes of silver screen success. Bobby Driscoll will always be remembered for his voicing of Peter Pan back in 1953, after signing a contract with Walt Disney. The latter unfortunately let Driscoll go from his contract after puberty, and the young actor struggled to find roles. Substance use also followed Driscoll throughout his life, resulting in multiple arrests and incarcerations. Work occasionally found Bobby Driscoll, but financial recovery did not. The actors remains were found in a New York tenement. These actually went unidentified for over a year, eventually being interred on Hart Islands Potters Field.
Andy Gibb
It wasnt just the Bee Gees that made parents Hugh and Barbara Gibb proud. Andy Gibb achieved success in the entertainment industry, performing as a singer and actor from the late sixties into the eighties. Unfortunately, Gibb also struggled with substance use and battled depression after a breakup with actress Victoria Principal. This icon of the disco era declared bankruptcy in 1987, and tragically died at only thirty years of age, with a yearly reported income of only $8 thousand.
Bela Lugosi
This case for one of horror cinemas most celebrated icons is a bit different than most. Bela Lugosi wasnt really in want of work. He continued to act in productions right up until his death in 1956, but the Dracula star was unfortunately never one to put any of his paychecks in the bank. Lugosis substance use was well-documented. His final will and testament left only minor real estate property along with a thousand dollars in cash. It was ultimately Bela Lugosis cinematic legacy that would retain much more value, from his capes and props, to the personality rights, to his idiosyncratic portrayal of Count Dracula.
Corey Haim
One of the biggest tragedies about the loss of a young actor is this notion of performers like Corey Haim never being able to blossom into their full potential. Theres no denying the prowess displayed by Haim in films such as Lucas and The Lost Boys, but Haims substance use struggles eventually led that once-promising career into a downward spiral. The actor admirably attempted rehabilitation at multiple points in his life, but Haims lack of medical insurance resulted in a severe amount of debt. This, combined with a back tax bill allegedly approaching $200 thousand at the time of his passing, cast a large shadow over Corey Haims death in 2010.
Sammy Davis Jr.
The dissolution of Sammy Davis Jr.s marriage to actress May Britt resulted in a wandering period for the Rat Pack personality. Lifestyle experiments with Satanism became the norm for Sammy Davis Jr., alongside an extensive appetite for substances and sex. It was throat cancer that ultimately claimed the entertainment legends life in 1990, with Davis estate at the time retaining an estimated worth of around $4 million. Davis unfortunately owed over five million to the IRS, however. It was this bill that became passed down to his widow, Altovise. It took seven years for Altovise Davis to finally come to terms with her husbands debt, after a bit of financial fundraising assistance from Sammy Davis Jr.s famous friends in the industry.
How important is financial planning and foresight to you? Let us know, if you feel comfortable to do so, in the comments.
