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  • Vincent van Gogh on Random Famous People Who Died Broke

    (#1) Vincent van Gogh

    • Dec. at 37 (1853-1890)

    It's widely known Vincent van Gogh died penniless, partially earless, and by his own hand, but the details of all three of those assertions are challenged by historians. Yes, Vincent died with no money to his name, but according to directors at the Van Gogh Museum, as revealed in Vincent's letters to his brother Theo - his sole means of financial support - he "had considerable room for maneuver during his career as an artist." Were it not for for his "ceaseless passion" for painting (which wasn't cheap) and all that pricey tobacco, booze, and frequent trips to the brothel, he would've been okay. 

    As for the ear, no one knows for sure why he did ithow much he actually cut off, or who he gave the ear to, and his famous suicide may have actually been an accidental homicide, according to a theory put forth by a pair of biographers in 2011.

  • Joe Louis on Random Famous People Who Died Broke

    (#3) Joe Louis

    • Dec. at 67 (1914-1981)

    Boxer Joe Louis made a staggering amount of money during his reign as one of the country's top pugilists in the '30s and '40s, but "it passed through his fingers quickly - and without the sort of accounting that the Internal Revenue Service expects," as his New York Times obituary notes.

    When his career in the ring ended in 1951, Louis owed $1.25 million, a sum he never paid off before his death in 1981. The IRS just stopped trying to get it from him: "We have gotten all we could possibly get from Mr. Louis, leaving him with some hope that he can live," IRS commissioner Dana Latham told Congress in 1965. "His earning days are over.''

    In 1974, Louis worked as a greeter at Caesar's Palace, but the paychecks were eaten up by escalating medical bills for the many "heart problems, emotional disorders and strokes" he suffered in his final decade. His third wife, Martha, was left broke when Joe died. A 1989 Chicago Tribune report said Martha "can no longer walk, but she can't afford a wheelchair of her own, either. She needs false teeth. And new glasses. But there is no money for any of those things."

  • Bela Lugosi on Random Famous People Who Died Broke

    (#2) Bela Lugosi

    • Dec. at 74 (1882-1956)

    Best known for playing Dracula in 1931, actor Bela Lugosi was a horror superstar in the 1930s before becoming hopelessly addicted to morphine, methadone, and booze. When he died in 1956, the former King of Horror had a measly $1900 in the bank. "His only legacy was his reputation," according to biographer Arthur Lennig.

    A big chunk of Lugosi's money went to Scotch, which he drank a bottle of daily in his last few years. Liquor store employee Ted Gargano delivered "five or six bottles" once a week to Lugosi's home:

    The last time I saw him, he was in really bad shape. When I delivered the Scotch, he could barely stand. He was in his underwear, and he had, excuse the expression, shit all over his leg. He probably had been asleep and had an accident. He was shaking, and he grabbed the bottle of Scotch, opened it up in front of me and drank half the bottle just like that, like it was water. He was so far gone.

  • Charlie Parker on Random Famous People Who Died Broke

    (#13) Charlie Parker

    • Dec. at 35 (1920-1955)

    Revolutionary jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker, AKA "Bird," struggled with addiction issues throughout his short career. Although he was changed the face of jazz music and became known in certain circles of aficionados, Parker remained relatively unknown well past his death on March 9, 1955.

    As a result of this relative lack of fame - and his drug and red wine addiction issues - Parker died penniless, despite being "one of the most innovative American musicians" in history.

  • Oscar Wilde on Random Famous People Who Died Broke

    (#8) Oscar Wilde

    • Dec. at 46 (1854-1900)

    Famous Irish wit Oscar Wilde died "next-to-penniless" of cerebral meningitis in a dingy Paris hotel in 1900 at age 46, or as he put it at the time, he died "above his means." His tomb was paid for by an anonymous woman who gave him a headstone the Guardian calls "a winged, naked and initially well-hung angel" because it was apparently considered so offensive "the cemetery's head keeper castrated it and for several years used the testicles as a paperweight."

    Just how poor Wilde was, exactly, is hard to say. An early biography from 1905 claims he died in "comparative poverty," meaning he probably wasn't totally destitute. Wilde managed to leave about £250 (about $30,000 in 2019) to his children, for example - a small amount considering how successful he was before famously being imprisoned for "gross indecency."

    However, more recent biographies reveal that during Wilde's final years in Paris, he lived almost entirely on the generosity of his friends, spending most of that charity on alcohol. "I have discovered," he wrote at the time, "that alcohol taken in sufficient quantity produces all the effects of drunkenness."

  • Nikola Tesla on Random Famous People Who Died Broke

    (#9) Nikola Tesla

    • Dec. at 87 (1856-1943)

    How did famous physicist, engineer, and inventor Nikola Tesla die in debt despite being responsible for AC motors and power systems still in use today? He generously tore up royalty contracts with the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, choosing instead to take a one-time payment of $216,600 in 1897. “Your decision determines the fate of the Westinghouse Company,” George Westinghouse pleaded with Tesla beforehand, effectively talking him out of millions - if not billions - of dollars over his lifetime.

    In 1901, Tesla lost most of his money on the Wardenclyffe Tower project, an attempt at a 186-foot tall tower that could supply free electricity across the Atlantic without wires.

    By 1912, his mental health began to deteriorate - he showed signs of OCD and autism, for example, and claimed he had fallen in love with a pigeon. He died in debt in 1943, even though Westinghouse had been paying for his room and board in New York for years - the least they could do, considering how much money he earned for them.

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About This Tool

Some historical celebrities did get everything they dream of. But even the wealthiest people in the world may become victims of financial rudeness. Some historical figures suffered unexpectedly miserable lives after bankruptcy and died in hunger and cold.  Throughout history, lots of famous people have gained wealth, power, and fame, but left nothing when they die. Some people lose their wealth because of wrong investments, overspend, or the decline of their families.

It is easier to lose wealth than to create wealth for everyone. The random tool lists 14 famous historical figures who died broke, including top actors, authors, athletes, and artists in history.

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