Stars who died financially ruined

Whitney Houston (1963 - 2012)
Spending a lot to the very end
Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009)
The King of Pop ruined
George Best (1946 - 2005)
One pint from death? No problem!
Judy Garland (1922 - 1969)
Massive debt
Corey Haim (1971 - 2010)
Expensive rehab
Anita Ekberg (1931 - 2015)
A run-down mansion
Marvin Gaye (1939-1984)
Leaving behind heavy debt
Billie Holiday (1915 - 1959)
Queen of YOLO
Joe Louis (1914-1981)
Generous to a fault
Veronica Lake (1922 - 1973)
From Hollywood to the restaurant
Barbara Hutton (1912 - 1979)
Big spender
Sammy Davis Jr. (1925 - 1990)
Illness
Bela Lugosi (1882 - 1956)
Pigeonholed in a coffin
Mickey Rooney (1920 - 2014)
Tax troubles
Whitney Houston (1963 - 2012)

By the time she was found dead in a Los Angeles hotel, Whitney Houston had accumulated debts of almost $4 million.

 

Spending a lot to the very end

Her addiction to painkillers and a decadent lifestyle were the reasons for her financial ruin. According to Fox News, she spent her last million dollars in the finest hotels in Sydney, Paris, and London.

Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009)

It's hard to believe, but the King of Pop died with an alleged debt of $500 million. Nevertheless, even after his death, his songs are still generating profits.

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The King of Pop ruined

Cars, art, exotic animals, jewelry, mansions, and multi-million dollar donations led to Jacko passing away without a penny to his name.

George Best (1946 - 2005)

"I spent most of my fortune on women and alcohol. The rest I wasted." The footballer summed up his wild spending with this pithy comment.

One pint from death? No problem!

His life was legendary, and not always for the right reasons. When his doctor told him that the was one pint of beer from death, the footballer started ordering half-pints. He was quite generous in the bar as well, and he bought rounds for everyone, even strangers.

Judy Garland (1922 - 1969)

"My parents instilled in me the culture of effort and saving," the actress confessed to 'Variety' in 1939. It was a lie. At 17, she was already a multimillionaire but not a saver at all.

Massive debt

At the age of 40, she had a debt of $4 million. As a result, she was evicted from her house. Tragically, she died from an overdose of barbiturates in 1969.

Corey Haim (1971 - 2010)

Corey Haim's childhood was rough, and unfortunately, his adult years were not any easier. Addictions ruined his career and his bank account.

Expensive rehab

He had no insurance, so his steps through rehab cost him his fortune. He died at the age of 38 with a million-dollar medical debt and more than $200,000 in unpaid taxes.

 

Anita Ekberg (1931 - 2015)

The first half of her life was filled with glamour, elegance, fame and a lot of money. She was Miss Sweden (1951) and a cinema icon thanks to Federico Fellini and 'La Dolce Vita'.

A run-down mansion

The second half of her life was catastrophic. She disappeared off the map in the early 1970s and was only heard of in 2011, when her mansion was robbed and the world learned that she was living in ruin, confined to a wheelchair and with a lot of debts.

Marvin Gaye (1939-1984)

Marvin Gaye's life was ended by his father, who accidentally shot him in the chest and shoulder. The singer had been trying to break up an argument between his father and mother. In life, chronic addiction and an expensive divorce bankrupted him.

Leaving behind heavy debt

When he died, his total debt was around $9.2 million, and half of that was owed to the US treasury.

Billie Holiday (1915 - 1959)

The great jazz diva took 'Carpe Diem' to the extreme. Addicted to booze and substances, she died of cirrhosis in a Harlem hospital, with a handful of change in her pocket.

Queen of YOLO

Lily Rothman, in 'Time' magazine, recalled how the singer subscribed always to a philosophy of spending now rather than saving for a rainy day. Sadly, Holiday died at 44.

 

Joe Louis (1914-1981)

For many, the best boxer in the world. A rock in the ring but a trusting and giving person outside of it. Raised in a rough Detroit suburb, he never allowed himself too many luxuries, except to pay off his relatives' debts.

Generous to a fault

His generosity led him to ruin, however, and he spent the last 30 years of his life in absolute poverty, with a debt that was close to a million dollars.

Veronica Lake (1922 - 1973)

The great diva of classic Hollywood shone during the 1940s but ended up without a job due to her complicated nature.

From Hollywood to the restaurant

After divorce and bankruptcy left the actress destitute, she eked out a living as a waitress. Her final screen appearance came in the low-budget 'Flesh Feast' (1970),  a bizarre horror that played with the idea of resurrecting Hitler. She died three years later, mired in debt.

Barbara Hutton (1912 - 1979)

The most famous ''Poor Rich Girl'' in history managed to squander more than $100 million from the family fortune in four decades.

Big spender

Cary Grant, her third husband, said of her: "When your possibilities are almost infinite, to live above them takes real talent." She died in utter ruin.

Sammy Davis Jr. (1925 - 1990)

"I have a clear conscience, I don't owe money to anyone who needs it," the singer told his friends. The reality is that his debt to the United States Government reached $15 million.

Illness

He came to earn a million a year and was part of the Rat Pack, but his eccentric luxuries led him to not pay taxes. He was forced to sing just to keep his head above water, and he did not have enough money to pay for potentially life-saving surgery after he was diagnosed with throat cancer.

Bela Lugosi (1882 - 1956)

Lugosi is a byword for Dracula as he played the character so many times. The actor could never quite escape this typecasting.

Pigeonholed in a coffin

He ended up making subpar movies, addicted to alcohol and drugs, and dying without a single dollar saved, despite having made more than 50 movies.

Mickey Rooney (1920 - 2014)

Interestingly, Mickey Rooney left his last $18,000 to the son who had allegedly taken $8.5 million from him.

Tax troubles

Back-tax and medical debts weighed on the veteran actor in his final days.

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