On the first season of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Taylor Armstrong threw two lavish parties. One was a “mad hatter” themed event for her daughter’s fourth birthday in which she held essentially two separate parties, with the adults’ party being much more lavish and well planned and some performers coming in for the children, who were decidedly less entertained Taylor’s big gift to her daughter was a gold and diamond Disney necklace, which impressed the child much less than the puppy her dad gave her which she ended up being allergic to. The cost for the party was over $60,000.

It’s unknown how much Taylor paid to throw the other party, a 20s-themed bash for which she rented an authentic dress from the era and hired a hairdresser and makeup artist to come to her house to prep her. She narrated in that episode “If you want to keep pace in Beverly hills you have to throw parties that people will talk about.” Well it turns out that all the financial stress from throwing money around to impress people was plunging Taylor’s husband into even more debt and despair. As I mentioned in an earlier story on Russell’s sad death, no one is to “blame” for his suicide. He was troubled and he made that awful decision on his own. It does make me shake my head that Taylor was wasting so much money when they essentially had none to spare. Russell’s lawyer said his client’s debt was the result of trying to keep up with the “lifestyle portrayed on the show,” and his mother said Russell was worried how he would be shown this season.

Russell Armstrong was more than $1.5 million in debt at the time of his suicide Monday, according to his attorney, and his mother told Headline News that he was dreading the way he would be portrayed in the upcoming season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. “Before the new season even started, before he took his life, he said, ‘Mom, they’re just going to crucify me this season,’” John Ann Hotchkiss told HLN’s Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell. “He said, ‘I don’t know what to do. I’ll never survive it.’”

Armstrong’s attorney Ronald Richards told ABC News that the show’s celebration of outrageous excess plunged Armstrong into debt “as a result of trying to keep up with expectations for the lavish lifestyle portrayed on the show.

“These couples join these shows, and then they keep trying to outdo each other and they end up spending all their money trying to sustain a lifestyle that’s unrealistic and wasn’t there prior to the show,” continued Richards. “The weekly social events, the dinners and all the BS, trying to pretend you have unlimited resources in Beverly Hills is tough. When every night is a potential sound bite or posting on a website, you end up getting addicted to it, you go out all the time.”

Bravo declined to comment on these remarks. The network currently has Housewives scheduled for a Sept. 5 premiere, but recent events have brought into question whether the network will still air the show as planned.

[From Entertainment Weekly]

Taylor had delusions of grandeur that weren’t consistent with her means, and Russell had filed for bankruptcy just two weeks before marrying her in 2005. His bad business deals were his own doing, and he had been sued multiple times for that. In no way were all his money problems all Taylor’s fault.

It just makes you wonder how Bravo is going to handle the new season now that Russell is deceased. I doubt they even know yet.

Header photo credit: Hellmuth Dominguez/Pacific Coast News. Photo above credit: Juan Rico/Fame Pictures

Following the tragic suicide of Russel Armstrong, one of the husbands on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, there have been an incredible amount of follow up stories, some of which I’ve found distasteful. I don’t want to get into the details of how he was found, how his estranged wife Taylor reacted or all the speculation on why he killed himself. It’s not anyone else’s “fault,” I don’t believe that someone can “drive” someone to suicide, and I don’t believe it’s done as “revenge.” Russell had many well documented business and personal problems over the years. The fact that he was starring on a reality show and that his darkest secrets may have been about to be revealed (again, not getting into it, you can look it up) may have pushed him to the edge, but he is the one who jumped.

Radar has a story on Russell, one of many they’ve run recently, in which they claim his family may sue Bravo, the network that puts out the RHOBC. It’s understandable that his family wants restitution, I guess, but the “somebody needs to pay” part rubs me the wrong way.

“Bravo is at fault and somebody needs to pay,” Russell’s step brother Wade Jackson told RadarOnline.com in an exclusive interview. “Russell’s whole family was very close and they’re considering suing Bravo.

“Russell’s dad doesn’t want to talk about what happened to him with a lot of people, but everyone in the family thinks that Bravo is to blame.

“I’m sure somebody will sue them,” Jackson said about the Armstrong family plans to litigate against the network.

Jackson also blamed Russell’s estranged wife Taylor Armstrong for getting his step brother involved in the show.

“In his line of business he didn’t want to be a public person on the show, but Taylor pushed him into it. He was really upset about the whole thing and told everyone in the family that he didn’t want to be on the show,” Jackson claimed.

Jackson said Russell had visited his dad in Texas in the last month and was planning to get through the divorce with Taylor and was then considering leaving California.

“He was a smart guy,” Jackson said. “The whole family is sad about his death and they want answers.”

[From Radar]

It’s not like the Beverly Hills version was the first in that illustrious franchise. All Russell had to do was rent a DVD of any of the other shows to realize what he was getting into. I get that his wife was a scamming social climber who may have pushed him into it, but so was he. E! ran a timeline of his issues, and he’s been convicted of tax evasion, he’s filed for bankruptcy, and he has a history of running shady businesses and physically abusing his partners. He was a very troubled person to say the least.

I don’t think it’s a bad idea for Russell’s family to sue Bravo, though. This does makes me wonder what’s going to happen to the Real Housewives shows. This takes the luster out of them for me. I don’t want to watch Russell and Taylor in couples’ therapy this season when I know that he’s just months away from taking his own life. It will be interesting to see how producers handle this though.

Remember that crazy psychic that got drunk in the “Dinner Party from Hell” episode on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and ended up fighting with everyone who wasn’t kissing Camille’s ass? Allison Dubois was a close friend of hostess Camille Grammer, and is the “psychic” whom the TV show Medium was based on, only her credentials are either sketchy or nonexistent and she’s a total piece of work. Some of her quotes from that evening include “I can tell you when she will die and what will happen to her family. I love that about me,” and “If any of their children disappeared, they wouldn’t be like ‘You were wrong,’ they’d be like ‘Can you help?‘ F*ck them.”

Anyway, since Allison is someone who makes a profit out of spurious claims to contact the spirit world, she was asked by Entertainment Tonight to comment on Russell’s suicide. She of course said she sensed the desperation in him, and gave a bunch of quotes presuming to know what was going on with his family, but at least she didn’t claim to have a message from him from beyond the grave. The way ET phrases it sounds like she’s claiming to have had contact with him, but in the video it just sounds like she’s speaking of suicide victims in general and doesn’t say she heard from Russell’s spirit.

Although Allison DuBois had only met the women of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills once (apart from close friend Camille Grammer) during what would soon after be dubbed “the dinner party from hell,” the now infamous psychic tells Entertainment Tonight her brief encounter lent DuBois great insight into what may have led to Russell Armstrong’s recent suicide.

Speaking to ET from her home in Arizona via Skype, Allison recounts the night she met the Real Housewives cast, explaining the influence of reality television cameras as a definite factor which would later derail the Armstrong family into an unavoidable tragedy.

“It had to be difficult that all his problems were being made so public,” DuBois says. “It was inevitable that someone was going to almost get, you know, pushed over a line.”

Although admitting she hadn’t yet talked to Taylor since her estranged husband’s death, Allison claims her psychic sense can feel Russell’s spirit communicating to her that he decided to take his life out of “desperation.”

“He was really down on himself and it culminated in his death,” DuBois says. She goes on to explain that his recently departed spirit was telling her that Russell wanted Taylor to meet somebody “more deserving” as a husband and as a father to their daughter Kennedy.

[From ET Online]

I haven’t mentioned all the other comments on this poor guy’s suicide, but this one cried out for coverage because it’s ridiculous. Given who we’re dealing with it could have been much worse though. I don’t know why I’m surprised when coverage continues as usual when someone dies, but you would think some of these outlets would bring it down a notch out of respect or whatever. Obviously they aren’t doing that and here we have a psychic who was drunk and belligerent on one episode giving her comments on the suicide of a guy who was married to one of the stars. Did she even ever meet him? At least she didn’t claim to have seen it coming.

In very sad, shocking news, Russell Armstrong, Taylor Armstrong from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ estranged husband, is dead in an apparent suicide. TMZ just covered the news that Russell was found hanged.

Russell Armstrong, the estranged husband of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Taylor Armstrong, was found dead of an apparent suicide …sources tell TMZ.

Our sources say Armstrong hanged himself. He was found hanging in his bedroom on Mulholland Drive.

We’re told L.A. City Fire Department arrived at his home and pronounced him dead at 8:16 PM Monday. Sources say a roommate found Russell and called 911.

We’re told authorities have not found a suicide note.

Taylor filed for divorce last month, after she claimed Russell physically abused her. We’re told authorities informed her of Russell’s death last night.

He was 47 years old.

[From TMZ]

Recently Russell’s abusive past was uncovered when the news came out that two ex girlfriends had taken out restraining orders against him. Taylor has also accused him of physical abuse, with the National Enquirer reporting that he dislocated her jaw, punched her in the eye, and tried to keep her from going to the hospital afterwards for treatment.

Russell was also facing multiple lawsuits from bad business deals in which he was basically accused of running a ponzi scheme. He had also been convicted of felony tax evasion. So he had a lot of very serious personal issues. It’s very sad that he took his own life, especially for his five year-old daughter with Taylor, Kennedy.

CB suggested I do this story, so let’s see if I can get through it without crying. Last year, fashion designer Alexander McQueen committed suicide. It was a devastating tragedy, and his friends, coworkers and family are still picking up the pieces after his death. McQueen’s will has just been made public, and it turns out that McQueen had gotten all of his affairs in order before his suicide, including making financial arrangements for the charities closest to his heart, as well as making sure his dogs would be taken care of. He left about $26 million to animal charities, plus $82,000 in a trust to whoever took care of his dogs. It’s said that his dogs were one of the last concerns McQueen had, and his suicide note consisted of “Look after my dogs, sorry, I love you, Lee.” Yeah. I’m crying.

His puppies: Minter, a mongrel; Juice, an English bull terrier; and Callum, a Rhodesian ridgeback. The charities: Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and The Blue Cross, both charities that work with finding animals a home. He also donated money to the London Buddhist Center and his own Sarabande charity – he requested that Sarbande create scholarships and grants for design students. He also left 50,000 pounds each to his two housekeepers, and made arrangements for his godson, nieces, nephews and his three sisters and two brothers.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Yesterday, the preliminary autopsy results came back on Amy Winehouse, but we still don’t know exactly how she died because it’s going to take weeks to find out toxicology. In the meantime, there is more news. Amy’s family plan to cremate her today in London. Blake Fielder-Civil will not be getting out of prison for the funeral, nor do Amy’s parents want him there. Amy’s album Back to Black has skyrocketed up to number one on iTunes, and I suspect Amy’s music will be topping many charts yet again around the world. But the biggest news today is that Amy’s boyfriend at the time of her death, Reg Traviss, has finally given an interview. He seems genuinely broken up, and I do think he loved Amy and was trying to take care of her:

AMY Winehouse’s heartbroken boyfriend spoke yesterday of his grief over her death – and admitted: “I can’t describe what I am going through.”

Film director Reg Traviss, 35, wept beside fans who paid tribute to the singer outside her North London home. And he said after the 27-year-old’s “untimely” death on Saturday: “I want to thank all those who are mourning the loss of Amy – such a beautiful, brilliant person and my dear love.”

Distraught Reg said Amy had been upbeat and full of life in the days leading to her death. He said Amy had been excitedly choosing clothes to go to a pal’s wedding on Sunday. He added: “Amy kept trying to decide what to wear. She had laid out her dresses to make up her mind. She was really looking forward to it.”

But on Saturday the film director’s world came crashing down when he learned Amy had been found dead in bed at her home. Reg said: “The last three days have been hell. We have suffered a terrible untimely loss and want peace now. I can’t describe what I am going through and I want to thank so much all of the people who have paid their respects and who are mourning the loss of Amy, such a beautiful, brilliant person and my dear love. I have lost my darling who I loved very much.”

Reg, speaking of Amy for the first time since her death, gave an account of her final days that scotched rumours she had been in a drug-fuelled haze.

He said: “She has been full of life and so upbeat recently, exercising everyday and doing yoga. This terrible thing that happened is like an accident.”

Reg, son of a London publican, had being seeing Amy for two years. Amy’s family were delighted. They saw clean-cut Reg as the perfect boyfriend after her catastrophic marriage to junkie Blake Fielder-Civil – the man blamed for getting her hooked on hard drugs. Dad Mitch had given their relationship his full blessing. A source said: “Reg has been dignified throughout his relationship with Amy. The family love him dearly. He’s a good guy. What happened in their life together remained private because he was determined to help get her back on her feet properly. He wasn’t interested in the limelight – unlike a lot of her exes.”

Reg, who spent yesterday with Mitch, Amy’s mum Janis, brother Alex and manager Raye Cosbert, did his utmost to keep Amy safe from her demons. But he spent a large part of the past 12 months working on his latest movie, Screwed. Filming took him away from home. That left Amy to her own devices in London – and at the mercy of those who preyed on her addictions. The source added: “When Reg was around, Amy was a different girl. He was a calming influence and kept her away from trouble. He really cared for her. When he was away working, the parasites always crept back in and dragged her into the gutter.” One of Amy’s last public outings with Reg was at the low-key premiere for Screwed last month.

The exact cause of Amy’s death is not yet known. A post mortem carried out yesterday was inconclusive and the results of toxicology tests will take weeks to process. But the singer’s family believe she was killed by either a heart attack or a fatal seizure. Amy had regular heart palpitations and had suffered a number of seizures – caused by the terrible pounding her body had taken during years of abuse.

A source said: “Amy’s family are expecting the outcome to be a heart attack or seizure and will be really shocked if it’s not. They staunchly believe it had nothing at all to do with recent drug binges. In the end it was her booze addiction that killed her. She had had a number of seizures in the past six months due to the amount she was drinking. She was putting so much away towards the end, her heart just couldn’t take it.”

In May, while on the way into rehab at the Priory, Amy stopped at a cornershop and downed a bottle of vodka. Doctors at the famous clinic monitored her heart and told her she was drinking herself to death. When her European tour was scrapped last month after a shambolic drunken performance in Belgrade she hit the bottle even harder. Two weeks ago, she blacked out three times in a week after vodka binges. Amy recently bumped into her former stylist near her home in Camden, North London, and was so drunk she failed to recognise her.

A source added: “She would drink herself into oblivion. It was heartbreaking to see Amy that wasted.”

[From The Sun]

When Reg and Amy got together, it was widely reported that Reg practiced some tough love with her and told her that he would be out the door if she continued to be such a liquor-soaked mess. But I always thought they were on-again/off-again, especially when Amy looked like a mess over the past few months. I thought Reg had gone off and left Amy to fend for herself. I don’t mean that as an accusation – I think if he did dump her a few times over the past year, it was likely self-preservation on his part. It’s very difficult to watch someone you love kill themselves with drugs and alcohol.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Why did I think that Amy Winehouse’s autopsy was going to be totally completed today and that we would have conclusive answers quickly? Some days, I’m surprised by own naiveté. The initial autopsy was completed today, but it’s going to be two to four weeks until toxicology is known. Meaning, we still don’t know what killed her, but the coroner is comfortable saying that this was not a “natural death”.

Investigators may not know what killed singer Amy Winehouse until they get results from lab tests on her blood and tissue, due in about two to four weeks, according to Scotland Yard Monday.

An autopsy was completed at St. Pancras Mortuary Monday afternoon, two days after the singer died in her London apartment.

“It did not establish a formal cause of death and we await the results of further toxicology tests,” a police statement said.

An inquest into her death was opened Monday, the statement said.

“Inquiries continue into the circumstances of the death,” London’s Metropolitan Police, also known as Scotland Yard, said in a statement Sunday. At this stage, the 27-year-old’s death “is being treated as unexplained and there have been no arrests in connection with the incident,” police said.

[From CNN]

I really hope this doesn’t become one of those deaths where conspiracy theories grow like weeds. I’m thinking about Kurt Cobain, for one. I still hear different, bizarre theories about his death. If everyone is like “we have to wait to see what was in her bloodstream” that means “she was on drugs.” You could also go to “she was poisoned” but… this is Amy. I’m not saying her death wasn’t a loss, or that the grief of her family, friends and fans isn’t real. I’m just saying that she was an addict and an alcoholic, and that’s what killed her.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

There are twenty-bajillion stories about the death of Amy Winehouse, so please, bear with us. I was tempted to wait until an autopsy had been done and the results released before discussing what Amy could have possibly been on, if her death was the result of an overdose or alcohol poisoning. But… there are so many reports about what she was doing during her final day, so… let’s just talk about it. British sources say that Amy was on a terrible bender involving heroin, ecstasy, ketamine and excessive quantities of alcohol:

A source told The People that she was seen buying substances, believed to be cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and ketamine leading up to the hours before her death. She is also thought to have been drinking heavily, which may have been the trigger of a lethal concoction of drugs and alcohol.

The source told the newspaper: ‘Amy seemed determined to have a big one on Friday night. She was out in Camden on Friday evening, but seemed determined to carry on the party back at her flat. None of us know who was with her into the early hours of Saturday. But getting out of it was clearly her main priority of the night.’

Another source from one Camden pub told the tabloid that they had also seen Amy buying cocaine from a well known dealer in the area.

Meanwhile, friends of the star told the Sunday Mirror that they believe she died from a ‘bad’ ecstasy pill mixed with a large amount of alcohol.

Winehouse also suffered from emphysema, which is a disease of the lungs that causes shortness of breath.

One friend told the newspaper: ‘It was an ecstasy overdose. She could do cocaine until the cows come home. But this was obviously a dodgy pill.’

[From The Mail]

Meanwhile, the autopsy has still not been completed, and Scotland Yard wants everyone to chill out. They released a statement which says in part: “At this early stage it is being treated as unexplained and there have been no arrests in connection with the incident.” However, TMZ’s source says that the Yard is operating under the suspicion that Amy overdosed.

Amy was discovered in her Camden apartment by her security guard. Amy’s rep tells media outlets, “She was in her bedroom after saying she wanted to sleep, and when he went to wake her he found she wasn’t breathing. [The bodyguard] called the emergency services straight away. He was very shocked. At this stage no one knows how she died. She died alone in bed.”

Amy’s parents Mitch and Janis have released a statement to the media as well: “Our family has been left bereft by the loss of Amy, a wonderful daughter, sister, niece. She leaves a gaping hole in our lives. We are coming together to remember her and we would appreciate some privacy and space at this terrible time.” Mitch was in NYC when Amy died, and he flew into England right away to be with his family. Janis, who had seen Amy just 24 hours before her death, reportedly said that she felt Amy’s death was “only a matter of time”: “She seemed out of it. But her passing so suddenly still hasn’t hit me.” Janis says that Amy’s last words to her were “I love you, mum” and Janis says, “They are the words I will always treasure. I’m glad I saw her when I did.”

Amy’s ex-husband Blake Civil-Fielder is still in prison, and it’s being said that he’s been put on suicide watch because they’re afraid of what he might do in the wake of Amy’s death. Blake even released a statement! “I’m beyond inconsolable … my tears won’t dry. I will never ever again feel the love I felt for her. Everybody who knew me and knew Amy knew the depth of our love. I can’t believe she’s dead.” Meanwhile, Amy’s last boyfriend, Reg Traviss, has not released any statements.

Lastly, every celebrity is talking about Amy, releasing statements or tweeting about it. My favorite eulogy was from Russell Brand – he wrote a surprisingly lovely, touching, compassionate and intelligent eulogy/essay for Amy in the form on a long blog post. If you’d like to read it, go here.

Photos courtesy of Fame.

My goodness. Sad news. Amy Winehouse has died at the age of 27. Her body was found by the Metropolitan Police in her London apartment today. Amy had well documented problems with drugs and alcohol (mostly alcohol), and had recently been in and out of rehab a few times just this year. She also started, but then abruptly ended a tour.

Amy Winehouse has died.

The troubled singer, whose unique and soulful voice made her a Grammy winner, was found dead at her London apartment on Saturday, according to various reports. She was 27.

“We are deeply saddened at the sudden loss of such a gifted musician, artist and performer,” a statement from her U.S. record label reads. “Our prayers go out to Amy’s family, friends and fans at this difficult time.”

London’s Metropolitan Police released also a statement about finding a body but didn’t identify the singer: “Police were called by London Ambulance Service to an address in Camden Square NW1 shortly before 16.05hrs today, Saturday 23 July, following reports of a woman found deceased,” the statement reads, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail. “On arrival officers found the body of a 27-year-old female who was pronounced dead at the scene. Inquiries continue into the circumstances of the death. At this early stage it is being treated as unexplained.”

The singer, who was to some as well known for her struggles with addiction as her music, was in rehab as recently as May and canceled a planned summer tour of Europe in June, following a disastrous appearance in Belgrade, Serbia.

But Winehouse’s musical accomplishments were many, including nearly sweeping the Grammy Awards in 2008 with her album Back to Black, which scored five trophies including record of the year, song of the year and best new artist. Unable to attend the Grammys due to legal troubles, Winehouse performed via satellite from London during the ceremony.

The singer had a tumultuous relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil, whom she married in 2007. But the on-again, off-again couple were officially divorced in 2009.

[From People Magazine]

It’s interesting that there’s a reference to Blake, when it’s Amy’s latest and last on-again/off-again lover Reg Traviss who seems to be involved somewhat in this drama now. There are photos of him outside of Amy’s apartment today, and I wonder if Reg wasn’t the one to find Amy’s body.

I know that this news isn’t really unexpected given Amy’s years of substance abuse, but I’m still very saddened by it. Amy was once one of the brightest talents in British music, and I loved her debut album so much. It was always my hope that she would pull herself together and make music her top priority. So, so sad. I hope her heaven has lots of dirty ballerina slippers.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Everyone thought Michael Jackson was broke and in debt when he died two years ago. He was signed up to do those thirty concerts in order to earn some much-needed money, having already squandered hundreds of millions on his insane lifestyle. His estate was in foreclosure, his amusement park was left empty and in desrepair like a setting for a horror movie. There wasn’t even enough money to pay for the upkeep of the exotic animals in his zoo. I remember when his nanny, Grace Rwaramba, was interviewed after his death and revealed that they’d been sponging off the King of Bahrain until 2007 and later lived with friends. She said that they stayed for weeks in a small home of a friend of Jackson’s in New Jersey, with all three of the kids staying in one room with her.

Grace also revealed that Jackson remained foolish with his money even when they were homeless. She said that he’d received some money and instead of using it to buy a home Jackson told her to spend it on antiques. “Suddenly… he received some money. Instead of buying a small house, so that we won’t go from one hotel to another or stay with friends, he told me, ‘Grace, you have to go immediately to Florence to buy antiques.’ He wanted me to spend £1m. [$1.6m USD]… We didn’t even have a home to live in so we had to put the antiques in some storage.”

So Jackson had no clue how not to spend money, but apparently he bought some worthwhile art in his spending sprees. Star Magazine is reporting [via Radar] that art valued at nearly a billion dollars has been uncovered as potentially belonging to his estate. Only Jackson supposedly gave it all away to some friend of his and now his estate is trying to recover it.

Michael Jackson secretly left behind an almost billion-dollar secret art fortune that is now at the centre of an international tug of war, Star has exclusively learned.

The never-before-seen collection would have insured the King of Pop’s surviving children were looked after for life. But in a startling twist, the secret vault has been sold out from underneath them, at a ‘bargain basement’ price, relatively speaking.

Lawyers running the late Thriller singer are moving to block the $87.7 million sale to an undisclosed international businessman, in a desperate attempt to return the incredible treasure to Prince, 13, Paris, 12, and Blanket, 8, and their guardian, Jackson’s mother Katherine.

In an astonishing appraisal of the 182-pieces, obtained exclusively by Star, the “rare intact major collection” was valued at a whopping $902.52 million, with “an invaluable pedigree for future sales in the international art market.”

“Michael’s mystique in life combined with this exposure of his wonderful fine art creations following his tragic death will escalate the value of these works and the popularity of his artistic vision worldwide,” appraiser Eric Finzi, a certified member of the International Society of Appraisers, wrote in a document obtained by the magazine.

“I do not think we have begun to see the true value of this fine art yet.”

The loot is so valuable that it’s worth almost more than Jackson’s other assets combined, including copyrights to his pop hits and the Beatles’ catalog, which he purchased in 1998 for $47.5 million.

[From Radar]

It gets more complicated than just a bunch of previously unaccounted-for art and antiques that Jackson owned. Apparently Jackson gave it all away to a friend of his, Australian artist Brett-Livingston Strong, and Strong is the one trying to sell it. Only the document in which Jackson’s business manager told Strong he was entitled to the art wasn’t signed by Jackson and his family is questioning whether the transfer of the goods was legal and if Jackson was aware of it. So it’s a big mess at this point, just like everything else in this guy’s life.

These are actual photos taken from inside Neverland in December, 2003 during a police investigation. They show Michael Jackson’s bedroom, dressing room and bathroom. The place was filled with trash. Some rooms were surely habitable, but no one was cleaning up after Jackson’s clutter at that time. This is some hoarders-level chaos. (Update: as commenter Bagladey notes, these photos were taken after the house was searched. It still looks like there was a ton of junk in there.) No wonder Jackson and/or his people just gave it away. Check out the weird mannequin of the kid doing a handstand. I wonder how much that painting of Jackson as Jesus at a table full of luminaries recreating The Last Supper is worth.

Here’s the question, even if Jackson had access to all this additional money (which was tied up in the crap he bought), would he have been able to buy another home and live within his still enormous means? He’d already wasted probably a billion dollars. He could have easily blown through hundreds of millions more, and it probably wouldn’t have taken him long. I mean that’s how he ended up with all that stuff in the first place.

Interior photos are from December, 2003. credit: Bauergriffinonline.com. Header image from March, 2009. Credit: WENN.com