Sign In
  • Best Buys
  • Household Money
  • Banking & Borrowing
  • Mortgages & Home
  • Saving & Making Money
  • Rights, Scams & Politics
  • Motoring & Travel
  • Investing & Pensions
  • Savings & ISAs
  • Features
  • Compare

Rich and famous people who went spectacularly bankrupt

The most jaw-dropping personal insolvency cases of all time
Abraham Lincoln: $29,392 (£22,563) in debt
Abraham Lincoln: $29,392 (£22,563) in debt
Veronica Lake: $1.5 million (£1.2m) in debt
Veronica Lake: $1.5 million (£1.2m) in debt
Aaron Carter: $2.4 million (£1.8m) in debt
Aaron Carter: $2.4 million (£1.8m) in debt
Mark Twain: $2.9 million (£2.2m) in debt
Mark Twain: $2.9 million (£2.2m) in debt
Mickey Rooney: $3 million (£2.3m) in debt
Mickey Rooney: $3 million (£2.3m) in debt
Henry John Heinz: $3.7 million (£2.8m) in debt
Henry John Heinz: $3.7 million (£2.8m) in debt
Boris Becker: $4.2 million+ (£3.2m) in debt
Boris Becker: $4.2 million+ (£3.2m) in debt
Karen Millen: $8.5 million (£6.5m) in debt
Karen Millen: $8.5 million (£6.5m) in debt
Dionne Warwick: $11.6 million (£8.9m) in debt
Dionne Warwick: $11.6 million (£8.9m) in debt
Burt Reynolds: $16.1 million (£12.3m) in debt
Burt Reynolds: $16.1 million (£12.3m) in debt
William Durant: $16.6 million (£12.8m) in debt
William Durant: $16.6 million (£12.8m) in debt
Huntington Hartford II: $17.8 million (£13.6m) in debt
Huntington Hartford II: $17.8 million (£13.6m) in debt
Kim Basinger: $19.2 million (£14.7m) in debt
Kim Basinger, 1993: $19.2 million (£14.7 million) in debt
MC Hammer: $20.9 million (£16m) in debt
MC Hammer: $20.9 million (£16m) in debt
Michael Vick: $20.7 million (£15.8m) in debt
Michael Vick: $20.7 million (£15.8m) in debt
Mike Tyson: $31.6 million (£24.1m) in debt
Mike Tyson: $31.6 million (£24.1m) in debt
Wayne Newton: $36 million (£27.7m) in debt
Wayne Newton: $36 million (£27.7m) in debt
50 Cent: $38.4 million (£29.3m) in debt
50 Cent: $38.4 million (£29.3m) in debt
Fife Symington: $39.8 million (£30.6m) in debt
Fife Symington: $39.8 million (£30.6m) in debt
Patricia Kluge: up to $56.2 million (£42.9m) in debt
Patricia Kluge: up to $56.2 million (£42.9m) in debt
Lenny Dykstra: up to $58.1 million (£44.5m) in debt
Lenny Dykstra: up to $58.1 million (£44.5m) in debt
Willie Nelson: up to $61.9 million (£47.4m) in debt
Willie Nelson: up to $61.9 million (£47.4m) in debt
Toni Braxton: $27.3 million (£20.8m) in debt
Toni Braxton: $27.3 million (£20.8m) in debt
William Fox: $172.8 million (£132.7m) in debt
William Fox: $172.8 million (£132.7m) in debt
Clint Murchison Jr: $933 million (£711m) in debt
Clint Murchison Jr: $933 million (£711m) in debt
Nelson Bunker Hunt: $1.2 billion (£914m) in debt
Nelson Bunker Hunt: $1.2 billion (£914m) in debt
Sigurdur Einarsson: $2.2 billion (£1.7bn) in debt
Sigurdur Einarsson: $2.2 billion (£1.7bn) in debt
Alan Bond: $3.2 billion (£2.4bn) in debt
Alan Bond: $3.2 billion (£2.4bn) in debt
Seán Quinn: $3.8 billion (£2.9bn) in debt
Seán Quinn: $3.8 billion (£2.9bn) in debt
1 of 59
Noam Galai/Getty

The most jaw-dropping personal insolvency cases of all time

Filing for bankruptcy carries a heavy stigma but when individuals find they can't settle their liabilities it can be the only option. Disastrous risk-taking, dodgy dealing, runaway spending, a hefty tax bill or just plain bad luck can propel a person into financial hell, and the richer they are, the harder they fall. Adjusting their sky-high debt levels for inflation, click or scroll through 30 prominent people who went spectacularly bankrupt.
Gallery view |
List View

Daniel Coughlin

23 February 2021

Features

See more on this topic

Share the love