Famous people that died poor

[peter0425]

1. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived shortly from 1756 to 1791. He was considered to be one of the most celebrated composers as he toured Europe as a kid to showcase his talent and allowed him to make up quite a fortune. However he had a problem with gambling and he also avoided certain jobs that led him to having massive debt. He was buried in a common grave due to poverty.



2. Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States. He had a wonderful career but couldn't control his spending and passed away with massive debts as well. A lot of his property was sold to pay off his debts.



3. Michael Jackson was called King of Pop and unfortunately passed away in 2009. His songs remain to be culturally relevant however at the time of his passing he passed away with around 500 million dollars of debt. Due to this, many of his assets were sold to pay for his debts.

The lesson I got from looking at all these influential people is you can be exceptional in your field but if you do not know how to manage your money you might just die penniless. I personally do not want to pass away after suffering from poverty. I want my last days to be spent in bliss.

There are other people in the list but I only chose three.

[Hewlet]

The lesson I got from looking at all these influential people is you can be exceptional in your field but if you do not know how to manage your money you might just die penniless. I personally do not want to pass away after suffering from poverty. I want my last days to be spent in bliss.

apart from the angle of dyeing while leaving a lot of debt for others to pay, the likes of Michael Jackson that actually lived a life that speaks of them even after they have died some years back can not be termed as people that died poor.

we only have one life to live and afterwards everything we fail while alive would not matter except for the things we are able to live behind in form of legacy. Michael Jackson has built a name for himself that no amount of money can buy at the present. till date, few music celebrity that are filthy rich can measure close to what Michael Jackson stands for even at death and that for me is the definition of real wealth that outlive your death.

[Charles-Tim]

Micheal Jackson can not be considered to die poor because he has assets that latter become very profitable which was used to pay for the dept that you are referring to. He is still in profit as of today.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Thomas Jefferson were gamblers, maybe not compulsive gamblers but people think gambling was the reason for their financial problem before they died.

[ultrloa]

Micheal Jackson can not be considered to die poor because he has assets that latter become very profitable which was used to pay for the dept that you are referring to. He is still in profit as of today.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Thomas Jefferson were gamblers, maybe not compulsive gamblers but people think gambling was the reason for their financial problem before they died.

Maybe they only looking at the debt then call MJ broke.

But they didn't even realize that Michael Jackson asset pay those debts and he's been cleared with those issues. This article explain those things https://people.com/michael-jackson-was-over-usd500-million-in-debt-at-time-of-death-new-court-documents-reveal-8670327

And even by now MJ asset still earning and making he's beneficiaries still lucky to get something from what's been left by the legend.

Also read it up here https://www.finance-monthly.com/2025/06/michael-jacksons-net-worth-2025-the-king-of-pop/ MJ still earning huge from his assets.

[Sim_card]

You are getting it wrong OP. Michael Jackson didn't die poor despite the debt that he is owing. Michael Jackson has a multi million dollar estate which he built and up till date, that property is still generating massive income which his three kids are getting their own share from that investment based on the percentage given to them. Michael Jackson asset that he left enough to take of his children and their children children.

[gunhell16]

Did Michael Jackson die poor? That's not how the news was when he died, as far as I know. Because in my idea over his career, he had a debt that reached 500 million
dollars until he died in 2009.

But in his estate that MJ left in music royalties, it is worth over 2 billion dollars, so, there will be 1.5B$ left for his loved ones like his mother and three children,
so it's not true that MJ died poor.

source: https://trustandwill.com/learn/the-estate-of-michael-jackson

[Ishicryptic]

I was shocked when I saw your list and saw that Michael Jackson, was among the celebrities that died poor, he was one of the greatest entertainers and lived luxurious lifestyle and I assumed that he would be very rich before his death. I made findings and found out that he was in dept like you said but I wouldn't call him poor because his beneficiaries are rich through him, they are still benefiting from his royalties.

I have heard and seen many very rich people who later became broke, not only celebrities but big business executives that went from grace to grace. I marvel when I see them living humble lifestyles compared to when they were on top. Most of them are due to expensive lifestyles and when the money was no longer flowing as it used to they kept living the lifestyle that they could no longer afford, the next they will go bankrupt then poor. It is a lesson for all of us to learn financial management, always spend bellow your income.

[BIT-BENDER]

You are getting it wrong OP. Michael Jackson didn't die poor despite the debt that he is owing. Michael Jackson has a multi million dollar estate which he built and up till date, that property is still generating massive income which his three kids are getting their own share from that investment based on the percentage given to them. Michael Jackson asset that he left enough to take of his children and their children children.

OP forgets that many celebrities can even claim bankruptcy to avoid tax or pay up what they own, 50 cent has once filed for bankruptcy but soon after was seen in a video with huge amounts of cash.
These days you can not really know a man's worth because they can easily concile their financial transactions, assets and cash.
I am not too bothered about a man's wealth and OP so should you.

[avikz]

I don't think MJ fits into this list. But I get the idea. Anyone can be exceptionally talented in one field. But that talent doesn't help them to manage their money wisely. Earlier these financial services was not widely available. But nowadays, you can hire professionals to manage your money. Right now, even a middle class person can afford such professional services. I am a salaried class person but I also have a financial planner who manages my investment.

So in today's world, if you have a stable source of income and get professional help, there's no reason to die poor. We all need to understand that we can't do everything alone.

[Spaceman1000$]

1. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived shortly from 1756 to 1791. He was considered to be one of the most celebrated composers as he toured Europe as a kid to showcase his talent and allowed him to make up quite a fortune. However he had a problem with gambling and he also avoided certain jobs that led him to having massive debt. He was buried in a common grave due to poverty.



2. Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States. He had a wonderful career but couldn't control his spending and passed away with massive debts as well. A lot of his property was sold to pay off his debts.



3. Michael Jackson was called King of Pop and unfortunately passed away in 2009. His songs remain to be culturally relevant however at the time of his passing he passed away with around 500 million dollars of debt. Due to this, many of his assets were sold to pay for his debts.

The lesson I got from looking at all these influential people is you can be exceptional in your field but if you do not know how to manage your money you might just die penniless. I personally do not want to pass away after suffering from poverty. I want my last days to be spent in bliss.

There are other people in the list but I only chose three.

As for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Thomas Jefferson I cannot really tell how they live their life and how people perceive them to have died, but for Thomas Jefferson who was a state man and a former president, I believe there might be some skimmishes when it comes to his financial legacy, because for that level of a man in the society as at that time will certainly be living in affluence, maybe after his death the story behind can be different but while he was leaving, the story will be a b different. Michael Jackson for me didn't die poor at least this one is within my own generation, while he was alive he was living in fortune, before the period he died, he had prepared to have a show where people had already bought tickets, in fact he was the most expensive artist you could hire for a show, so for me that kind of a man shouldn't be categorized as somebody who died poor. However for all the person's you mention, they all lived their life on earth as first timers, nobody really has best manuscript on how to perfectly survive without a scandal while alive even after death.

[Roseline492]

You are getting it wrong OP. Michael Jackson didn't die poor despite the debt that he is owing. Michael Jackson has a multi million dollar estate which he built and up till date, that property is still generating massive income which his three kids are getting their own share from that investment based on the percentage given to them. Michael Jackson asset that he left enough to take of his children and their children children.

You are right @Sim_card because OP thought very wrong about the Michael Jackson situation because right from when he was alive singing he has never been poor and even after death his wealth are still there, perhaps aside from this estate there could even be more of his assets that is helping in generating more to the family in addition to the estate, so actually if Michael Jackson family had became poor after he passed there wouldn't be any of his estate left, so actually he did not passed away like the others he stated because his wealth is still there.

[goldkingcoiner]

I did not know that Michael Jackson died with half a billion US Dollars in debt. I wonder what happened? Did it have something to do with his court cases? Also did he not own a giant estate named the "Neverland Ranch"? He certaintly did not live a poor life, despite being so tremendously in debt. But I doubt he cared about his finances anyway. It just goes to show that nobody takes their money with them in death.I think many smart and influencial people understand this and would rather spend their life dedicated to their art rather than trying to make their bank account numbers bigger. And if you think of it that way, financial problems do seem unimportant and overbloated.

[EluguHcman]

OP please I need link that compiled this data or are we just exergeratting just by how these past legends were buried and their indebtedness?
What is the statistics that proved their net worth when they own those riches and when they went bankrupts before they died?

See.. we don't need to underestimate people just because they borrows money. Put every other governments/countries in considerations, even the almighty United States owes. So does that make them poor? I think there are strategic reasons that may strive those who are famous to borrow money which in business and finance could be act of management structures.

As for Michael Jackson in this picture, after he died, there was speculations that his musics even sells on streaming than when he was alive and was still rated one of the richest musicians even after death.

[justinlamode]

This is scary as hell,  being rich and later dieing poor with nothing to leave behind for heirs and even charity. It would have been better they were poor but later because rich before death so dependants won't suffer. This is indeed a good motivation for us to take our finances seriously and plan for the future smartly.

[Majestic-milf]

 Micheal Jackson shouldn't be on that list. Even if he died poor and was in half a million dollar worth of debt, the question is was that the end for him or even after his death, the proceeds from his music was able to pay of his debts? The likes of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Thomas Jefferson were not able to clear up theirs and for Mozart he was known to live above his means and not just because he was a gambler. Even when after he died, his wife Constanze had to take a pension from the emperor to be able to take care of her children. So it will be unfair to put MJ in that list.
 I know the essence of this to teach about the necessity of money management which was quite obvious that all three lacked, it won't be right to add the King of Pop to the list.

[hyudien]

You are getting it wrong OP. Michael Jackson didn't die poor despite the debt that he is owing. Michael Jackson has a multi million dollar estate which he built and up till date, that property is still generating massive income which his three kids are getting their own share from that investment based on the percentage given to them. Michael Jackson asset that he left enough to take of his children and their children children.

And don't forget that MJ was an artist so his work will continue to generate income even after he passed away. MJ received a portion of his income from royalties, publishing rights, merchandise and other sources. I've heard that thanks to the careful management of his will the total value of his estate is currently estimated to exceed $2 billion by 2025 for his surviving family.

[Fiatless]

The lesson I got from looking at all these influential people is you can be exceptional in your field but if you do not know how to manage your money you might just die penniless. I personally do not want to pass away after suffering from poverty. I want my last days to be spent in bliss..

Let me focus on the moral of the lesson rather than the validity of the information. It is important to avoid a careless lifestyle that could lead to the waste of resources. Gambling, drugs, and other forms of addiction could lead to wasteful spending. Living within your means is also good to avoid debt. I prefer to live a modest life rather than spending on luxury and being indebted.

[rachael9385]

I don't know much about the first and second person but I don't think Micheal Jackson died poor just because he was in debt. It would amaze you that even presidents of countries are In debt, a lot of rich people are owing millions of dollars but this doesn't mean that they are poor, that's a very wrong concept. If he was still alive that wouldn't have been a problem because he still has lots of assets that triples that amount

[Cryptomultiplier]

Many of these famous persons made other persons rich and wealthy during their times, like I think MJ did and am sure that goes to all our current famous persons who go out of their way to help as much persons along the way while receiving royalties and topped up with a great contract of percentage.

When people get famous and attain a level of wealth, it is always wise to be more careful which contracts to endorse, how much money is spent and invested and how not to be too generous.

Also, I think famous persons like the king of pop or other breakthrough famous persons in their fields, become famous by being excellent in their area of pursuit and made significant impact that generations will have to study their theories and analyze their abilities just to understand that fulfillment in life doesn't come from having so much money but in making a reasonable contribution to this world during your time here that others do not forget the legacy for eternity.

[Mame89]

You are getting it wrong OP. Michael Jackson didn't die poor despite the debt that he is owing. Michael Jackson has a multi million dollar estate which he built and up till date, that property is still generating massive income which his three kids are getting their own share from that investment based on the percentage given to them. Michael Jackson asset that he left enough to take of his children and their children children.

True. Michael Jackson didn't die in poverty. He was the King of Pop at the time, and he did leave behind a significant amount of assets. There are rumors that he was in debt when he died, but that doesn't mean he didn't have any assets. In fact, I suspect, as you said, his assets could support his children and grandchildren, especially since royalties are still being paid to this day.

However, behind all this, we can learn an important lesson from the case mentioned by the OP above. Indeed, no one knows how long they will live, or under what circumstances they will die. Therefore, anyone who feels they will not live long should manage their finances and actions as best as possible. A healthy lifestyle is also paramount, as is the case with drugs. Many cases involving famous artists often involve drugs, which is the main problem that led to their poverty. Therefore, stay away from drugs.