Everybody knows that it’s not easy being rich and famous. Celebrity obviously has its advantages, but it has its downsides, too: Stars are often victimized by friends and family who want their money. Managers or accountants cheat them. They have little or no privacy, and are under pressure to be picture-perfect or “on” at all times.

 

 

 

 

 
No wonder a depressing number of icons of the film and music worlds succumb to drug, alcohol, or gambling addictions, which are costly in themselves and also typically lead to lost career opportunities.

Performers aren’t usually known for their money management skills, no matter how much they cash they make. Some who earned millions in their lifetimes have also lost it all. Here are a few familiar names who died impoverished or close to it.

Brenda Fassie

Brenda had consumed a significant amount of cocaine the night before she died, according to a postmortem examination. Brenda is said to have earned an estimated R30 million over the course of her career. She did, however, spend the most of her earnings on drugs. When she died, she was a penniless woman. Brenda Fassie is the name of the singer.

To pay for her medical and burial expenses, generous donations were solicited from friends and family.

Brown Dash

Brown Dash, the stage name of Siphiwe Mpamile, was a well-known Kwaito artist. He collaborated with Mzekezeke on several recordings. In addition to being the name of his first album, Sguqa Ngamadolo, was one of his most popular singles. The CD was a huge success, selling at least 100,000 copies and netting him a tidy sum of cash. At the South African Music Awards, he was nominated for the Best Kwaito Album award. Unfortunately, despite his fame and fortune, Brown Dash was left penniless at the end of his life. At Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, in Johannesburg, South Africa, he died on the 9th of May 2012. Members of the music community came together to raise money for a fitting farewell for him after his death occurred.

Lundi Tyamara

In January of this year, Lundi died. At the time of his death, he was penniless and without a home. Despite selling millions of CDs and earning millions of rands in performances and royalties, Lundi was evicted from the townhouse he was renting in Mondeor, Johannesburg south. If you’ve been kicked out of your house as Lundi was, you’ve probably sent out a few desperate WhatsApp messages asking for favours.

Pro Kid

He died in the arms of his long-term girlfriend, Mandisa Mbanjwa, when he was hip-hop megastar Prokid (real name Linda Mkhize). An unusual source of gastrointestinal haemorrhage led to Prokid’s death in August of this year. In order to pay for Prokid’s funeral, the government had to step in.

Content created and supplied by: TheMice (via Opera News )