Noted Individuals and Corporations - Bankruptcies

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Celebrity Research Lists
Last Updated/Checked: January 1, 2022 (Final update: placed in the Public Domain this date. See page bottom.)
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Information sources: news stories, biographies, autobiographies.

Two Lists Follow:
  • Noted Individuals Who Have Filed for Bankruptcy Protection
  • Famous Corporations That Have Filed for Bankruptcy Protection
Note: Filing for bankruptcy protection (in the United States) does not necessarily mean that the person was destitute poor or without an income. The bankruptcy may have been filed in response to a lawsuit judgment or income tax bill or tax fine that was considered excessive or in dispute.

Some bankruptcies below may be for a company that was owned in full or part by the individual named on this list. If the bankruptcy filing was for a corporation, it would not be a personal bankruptcy. If the company was a sole proprietor business, then it would be included in a personal bankruptcy. Further research by the reader is suggested. The year of filing is in parentheses, if known.

Additional information resources:
The U.S. Congress passed its first bankruptcy act in the year 1800.
U.S. Bankruptcy Statistics, 1980 to present, American Bankruptcy Institute, downloadable reports.
NNDB.com - another list of celebrity bankruptcies with additional names not listed here (accuracy has not been verified by Celebrity Research Lists).

Noted Individuals Who Have Filed for Bankruptcy Protection

A
Willie Aames . . . actor (2008).
Merve Adelson . . . film producer, co-founder of TV production company Lorimar Productions (Dallas, Knots Landing, The Waltons, etc.); third husband of journalist-TV host Barbara Walters (2003).
B
F. Lee Bailey . . . former American attorney (2016).
Stephen Baldwin . . . actor; American author (2009).
Lionel Bart . . . British composer-lyricist-playwright (1972).
Kim Basinger . . . Oscar-winning actress (1993).
Drake Bell . . . American actor (2014).
Boris Becker . . .former tennis player (2017) (involuntary; declared bankrupt by a British court).
Jay Black . . . singer/rock star; lead member of "Jay and the Americans" (1986).
Lauren Booth . . . British journalist; columnist (2010).
Lorraine Bracco . . . Oscar-nominated actress (1999).
Matthew Brady . . . portrait/U.S. Civil War photographer (1872).
Toni Braxton . . . singer/rock star (1998, 2010).
Sylvia Browne . . . professional "psychic"; best-selling American author (1988).
Anita Bryant . . . singer; American author; 1958 Miss America 2nd runner-up (1997 and 2001).
Gary Busey . . . actor (2012).
C
Aaron Carter . . . singer/rock star (2013).
David Cassidy . . . actor-singer (2015).
George Clinton . . . singer/rock star (1984) (note: this is not the composer George S. Clinton).
Samuel L. Clemens ("Mark Twain") . . . best-selling American author-humorist (1894).
Natalie Cole . . . singer (19__) (sources: People magazine, February 24, 1997 / Dateline NBC, September 29, 1996 / et al.).
Derrick Coleman . . . American basketball player (2010).
Gary Coleman . . . actor (1999).
Concrete Blonde . . . rock group (19__) (source: LA Weekly, March 26-April 1, 1999).
John Connally . . . former Texas; wounded in 1963 Kennedy assassination in Dallas (1987).
Francis Ford Coppola . . . Oscar-winning film writer-director-producer (1990).
Cathy Lee Crosby . . . actress; American author (1992).
D
Vic Damone . . . singer (1971).
Dorothy Dandridge . . . Oscar-nominated actress-singer (1963).
Lee de Forest . . . Oscar-winning film/sound synchronization pioneer; producer (1937).
Dino De Laurentis . . . Oscar-winning film producer (1988).
Janice Dickinson . . . former supermodel; American author (2013).
Walt Disney . . . Oscar-winning film producer; animation & theme park pioneer (1923).
Lenny Dykstra . . . American baseball player (2009).
E
Eddy "the Eagle" Edwards (Eddy Edwards) . . . Great Britain's first Olympic ski jumper (1991).
Nicole Eggert . . . actress (2013).
F
Keith Famie . . . Survivor II: The Australian Outback contestant; chef-restauranter; American author (19__; 1996/97) (source: interview, CBS special Survivor: Back from the Outback, May 10, 2001).
Mick Fleetwood . . . musician/rock star; lead member of "Fleetwood Mac" (1984).
Heidi Fleiss . . . Clothing line founder; American author (1999).
William Fox . . . co-founder of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation (1936).
G
Rulon Gardner . . . United States Olympic gold medalist wrestler (2012).
Marvin Gaye . . . singer (19__;mid-late 1970s).
Andy Gibb . . . singer/rock star (1987).
Charles Goodyear . . . inventor; businessman (1830, with his father, hardware store).
Ulysses S. Grant . . . 18th U.S. President; Civil War general;best-selling American author; face is pictured on the U.S. fifty dollar bill (1884, after leaving office).
Elizabeth Ward Gracen . . . actress; model; Miss America 1982 (1999).
Bob Guccione . . . publisher and founder of Penthouse magazine (see General Media below) (2003).
H
Merle Haggard . . . singer/country music star (1993).
Corey Haim . . . actor (1997).
Dorothy Hamill . . . United States Olympic gold-medalist ice-skater (1996).
M.C. Hammer . . . singer/rock star (1996).
Richard Harris . . . Oscar-nominated actor-producer-director; Irish-born author ("twice bankrupt") source: BBC World News).
Robert Harris . . . $275 million Mega Millions lottery winner on February 23, 2008, Georgia USA (1994 and 2000).
Natalie Hawkins . . . mother of 2012 Olympic Gold Medal U.S. gymnast Gabby Douglas (2010 and 2012).
Isaac Hayes . . . Oscar-winning songwriter-composer-musician-singer (1976).
Sherman Hemsley . . . actor (2002).
Milton Hershey . . . founder of the Hershey Chocolate Company and namesake of Hershey, Pennsylvania (1882, one of his earlier candy businesses).
I
Ron Isley . . . rhythm-and-blues singer (19__; mid-late 1990s).
J
Curtis Jackson III (50 Cent) . . . American rapper/rock star; actor (2015).
Jack Jackson . . . American hockey player (2014).
La Toya Jackson . . . singer/rock star (1995).
Don Johnson . . . actor-producer (2204).
Janice-Marie Johnson . . . singer/rock star/disco diva (19__;1980s) (source: interview segment, Extra TV show, June 9, 2000).
Randy Johnson . . . American NFL football player (1977) (source: Charlotte Sun newspaper, Florida, May 10 1999, republished September 26, 2009 after his death).
Kacey Jones . . . singer/country music star; musical humorist (19__) (sources: KaceyJones.com / Dish magazine, October 2000).
Clay Jordan . . . Survivor V: Thailand contestant; restauranter (2001).
K
Chaka Kahn . . . singer/rock star (19__) (source: People magazine, February 24, 1997).
Evander Kane . . . American hockey player (2021).
Kerry Katona . . . singer/rock star; British TV personality (2008).
Larry King . . . talk-show host; best-selling American author (1978).
Robert Kiyosaki . . . best-selling American Author of the "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" book series; businessman (2012, filing was for one of his corporations: Rich Global LLC).
Arnold Klein . . . California-based dermatoligist to the rich and famous, including the late singer Michael Jackson at the time of his death (2011).
Bowie Kuhn . . . former U.S. baseball commissioner (19__).
Gary Kurtz . . . Oscar-nominated film producer (Star Wars, American Graffiti, etc.) (19__).
L
Veronica Lake . . . actress (1951).
Lorenzo Lamas . . . actor (2004).
Cyndi Lauper . . . singer/rock star (1983).
Joey Lawrence . . . actor (2018).
Stan Lee . . . comic book industry pioneer; co-creator of "Spider Man," "The Incredible Hulk," "The X-Men," etc. (2001, Stan Lee Media).
Joanne Lopes and Jorge Lopes . . . Big Game multistate Lotto jackpot winners in 2002 in the U.S.; won a $110.3 million jackpot, which they took as a lump sum of $58.9 million before taxes; had debts of nearly $600,000 when they filed for chapter 13 bankruptcy protection; their petition was dismissed by a judge due to their failure to appear at their hearing (2001).
M
Meat Loaf . . . singer/rock star (1983).
Ashley MacIsaac . . . musician-fiddler (2000).
Mindy McCready . . . singer/country music star (1997).
Linda McMahon . . . businesswoman; politician (1976, jointly with husband Vince).
Vince McMahon . . . Professional wrestling businessman; producer (1976, jointly with wife Linda).
Melba Moore . . . singer-actress (19__; 1990s).
Debelah Morgan . . . singer-songwriter-producer (2000).
Lorrie Morgan . . . country music star; American author (1992, chapter 11, later withdrew petition filing after paying debtors; filed personal chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2008).
Motor City Five/MC5 . . . rock group of the 1960s (1970).
N
Willie Nelson . . . singer-songwriter-actor; American author (19__; est. 1990) (source: Sunday Morning, CBS-TV news program, September 30, 2001, interview conducted by Dan Rather).
Wayne Newton . . . singer-actor-entertainer (1992).
Jimmie Nicol . . . drummer who became a member of the music group "The Beatles" for 10 days in 1964 during a worldwide tour while Ringo Starr was being treated for tonsillitis (1965).
Immanuel Nobel . . . father of manufacturer-philanthropist Alfred Nobel, who founded the Nobel Prizes (twice: 1833/year Alfred was born; 1856/when Alfred was 23).
Mary Nolan . . . actress (1931).
O
Jennings Osborne . . . Arkansas businessman; Christmas light sponsor, including at DisneyWorld (1995).
P
Johnny Paycheck . . . singer/country music star (1976).
Tom Petty . . . singer/rock star (1979).
Teri Polo . . . actress (2014).
Clinton Portis . . . American football player (2015).
Susan Powter . . . exercise/fitness expert; talk-show host; best-selling American author (1995).
Burt Prelutsky . . . American television writer; screenwriter (1997).
Katie Price . . . model; media personality; best-selling British author (2019, court-declared bankrupt).
Q
Noreen Renier . . . Psychic (claimed); American author (2007).
Burt Reynolds . . . Oscar-nominated actor-director; American author (1995).
Debbie Reynolds . . . Oscar-nominated actress-singer; American author (1997).
William Roache (Bill Roache) . . . actor; British author (1999).
Kristina Laferne Roberts ("Zane") . . . best-selling American author (2014).
Juan Rodriguez . . . $149 million Mega Millions lottery winner, New York City (2004, filed bankruptcy just before winning).
Mickey Rooney . . . Oscar-nominated actor; American author (1962).
S
Harry Saltzman . . . film producer (James Bond movies) (1975).
Ray Sawyer . . . singer/rock star; member of "Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show" (1973).
Shenandoah . . . country music band (1991).
"Sinbad" / David Adkins . . . comedian; actor (filed in 2009, but dismissed due to improper filing; filed again in 2013).
Anna Nicole Smith . . . model-actress; 1993 Playboy magazine "Playmate of the Year" (1996).
Dick Smothers . . . American comedian, one half of the comedy team "The Smothers Brothers" (2010).
Lynne Spears . . . American author; mother of rock star Britney Spears (1998; filed with husband James prior to Britney's stardom).
J. Fife Symington . . . Governor of Arizona (1995, while still in office).
T
Debbie Thomas . . . American Olympic Bronze Medalist figure skater (2014).
TLC . . . rock group (1995).
Donald Trump . . . businessman (casinos: associated as majority shareholder, Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc.; no personal bankruptcies) (1991; 1992; 2004; 2009; 2014 [2014 as a minority shareholder in an Atlantic City casino licensed to use his last name, filed lawsuit to have name removed from company and casino]; see also listing in corporation section).
Mike Tyson . . . (2003).
U
Michael Vick . . . American football player (2008).
Vinnie Vincent (Vincent John Cusano) . . . former member of the rock band Kiss (1989).
W
Dionne Warwick . . . singer (2013).
Tammy Wynette . . . singer/country music star; American author (1988).
Z
Zane . . . see Kristina Laferne Roberts.

Famous Corporations That Have Filed for Bankruptcy Protection

A
Air Berlin (German airline) (2017).
Aladdin Gaming, LLC (a Las Vegas hotel-casino) (2001).
American Airlines (and its parent company AMR Corp.) (2011).
American Banknote Corporation (1999).
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists/AFTRA (1982).
AMF Bowling Worldwide, Inc. (2001).
Atari (2013).
B
Baldwin Piano & Organ Company (2001).
Bethlehem Steel Corporation (2001).
Blockbuster Inc. (2010).
Borders Group Inc. (2011).
Boy Scouts of America (2020).
Burlington Industries, Inc. (2001).
C
Caesars Entertainment Operating Company, Inc. (U.S. casino operator of Caesars, Harrah's and Horseshoe brands) (2015).
Carolco Pictures, Inc. (1995).
Chiquita Brands International, Inc. (2001).
Chrysler LLC (2009).
Circuit City (2008).
Cirque du Soleil (2020).
Citadel Broadcasting Corporation (2009).
Colt Defense LLC (American gun manufacturer) (2015).
Continental Airlines, Inc. (1967 & 1984).
Converse, Inc. (2001).
Core Media Group (parent company of reality TV shows productions, including American Idol) (2016).
Cypress Gardens Adventure Park (one of the earliest Florida theme parks) (2006).
D
Dairy Mart Convenience Stores, Inc. (2001).
Dean Foods (The U.S.'s largest dairy milk processor) (2019).
Delta Air Lines, Inc. (2005).
Detroit, Michigan, United States (largest city in the U.S. to ever file) (2013).
Dow Corning Corporation (1995).
E
Eastern Airlines, Inc. (1991).
Eastman Kodak Co. (2012).
Enron Corporation (second largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history up to this time; WorldCom below being the largest) (2001).
eToys, Inc. (2001).
Excite@Home (2001).
F
FAO Inc. (FAO Schwarz toy stores) (2003).
Frederick's of Hollywood, Inc. (2000).
FriendFinder Networks Inc. (owner of dating websites, adult websites, Penthouse magazine) (2013).
Fruit of the Loom, Inc. (1999).
G
Gawker Media (2016).
General Growth Properties, Inc. (mall operator; biggest real estate bankruptcy in U.S. history up to this time) (2009).
General Media (publisher of Penthouse magazine, 85% owned by Bob Guccione) (2003).
General Motors Corporation (2009).
Gibson Brands Inc. (iconic American guitar manufacturer) (2018) The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (also known as A&P; grocery stores in the US)(2010, 2015).
H
Hertz Global Holdings Inc. (2020) (car rental company).
Hostess Brands, Inc. (2012 & earlier 2004 as Interstate Bakeries Corporation).
I
iHeartMedia Inc. (largest U.S. radio media company) (2018).
Interstate Bakeries Corporation (makers of "Twinkies," "Wonder Bread," et al.) (2004; changed its name to Hostess Brands, Inc. in 2009, which filed for protection in January 2012).
J
Japan Airlines (2010).
J.C. Penney Company (2020).
K
Kmart Corporation (2002).
L
Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (2008).
Lionel Corporation (1967 & 1984).
Loews Cineplex Entertainment, Inc. (2000).
Los Angeles Dodgers (2011).
M
Maidenform, Inc. (1997).
Marvel Entertainment Group (1996).
The McClatchy Company (2020) (American newspaper publisher).
McCrory Corporation (1992 & 2001).
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (2010).
Montgomery Ward, Inc. (1997 & 2000).
N
National Rifle Association (2021).
New England Confectionery Co. (Necco) (2018) (America's oldest operating candy manufacturer).
Northwest Airlines Corporation (2005).
O
Orion Pictures Corporation (1992).
Owens Corning Corporation (2000).
P
Pan Am Corporation (1998).
Paramount Studios (1932).
Peabody Energy Corporation (world's largest private coal-producing company, US based) (2016).
Pepsi Cola Company (1923, 1931).
Planet Hollywood International, Inc. (1999 & 2001).
Polaroid Corporation (2001).
Peurto Rico (2017) (United States territory).
Purina Mills, Inc. (1999).
R
RadioShack Corporation (2015).
Reader's Digest Association (2009).
Regal Cinemas, Inc. (2001).
Relativity Media, LLC.
Remington Outdoor Company (firearms manufacturer) (2018).
Resorts International, Inc. (1994).
Riviera Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas) (1984 & 1991).
S
Saab Automobile (2011).
Sbarro, Inc. (Italian food restaurant chain) (2011).
Sears Holdings Corp. (Sears department stores) (2018).
Singer Company (manufacturer of sewing machines) (1999).
Sizzler International, Inc. (1996).
Six Flags, Inc. (world's largest regional amusement-park company) (2009).
Smith Corona Corporation (1995).
Southland Corporation (7-11 stores) (1990).
Stan Lee media (2001).
Sunbeam Corporation (2001).
Sun-Times Media Group, Inc. (2009).
Swissair Group, Inc. (2001).
T
Texaco, Inc. (1987).
Toys "R" Us, Inc. (2017).
Toysmart.com (2000).
Trans World Airlines, Inc./TWA (1995 & 2000).
Tribune Group (owner of the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, et al) (2008).
Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc. (formerly called Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts Inc.) (1991; 1992; 2004; 2009; 2014).
U
US Airways (2002).
U.S. Office Products Company ("Mail Boxes, Etc." stores) (2001).
V
Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd (2020).
Vlasic Foods International, Inc. (2001).
W
Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. (2005).
Western Union Corporation (1993).
WorldCom, Inc. (largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history up to this time) (2002).
W.R. Grace & Company (2001).
Z
Zenith Electronics Corporation (1999).
- End List -

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Copyright 2001-2021 Celebrity Research Lists. PUBLIC DOMAIN DECLARATION: The text on this list and list appearance were placed in the Public Domain on January 1, 2022 by the Celebrity Research Lists founder, author James A. Conrad. This list will no longer be updated (by him) from this date forward. Feel free to recreate and continue to update this list on another website in the current style or different one. Click on the Public Domain icon for additional legal information.