Celebrities Who Went From Riches To Rags

Tom Petty

Tom Petty filed for bankruptcy in 1979. The only difference was he was not broke; the stint was just a legal trick to get himself out of a damaging contract with a record label that refused to pay him due. They took in all of his cash--millions of dollars --while believing that they were deeply in debt and needed a bailout. He needed to get the attention of the IRS and the Better Business Bureau. He ended up winning the case, closing down the label, and taking all of his lost profits. 

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The More You Know

  • Soon after moving to New York City, Madonna worked at a Dunkin' Donuts. She was fired after one week for messing with the jelly machine.
  • Cameron Diaz broke her nose in a surfing accident in Hawaii on her birthday in 2003.
  • Dr. Ruth Westheimer is best known as a TV sex therapist—but she’s also a trained sniper.
  • Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has his own motivational alarm clock app, which fans can download. It has no snooze button.
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