After comedian Redd Foxx died penniless at the age of 68, Eddie Murphy paid for his funeral and headstone
Redd Foxx is a well-known actor and comedian in Hollywood. He was penniless by his sixties, though. Eddie Murphy never abandoned him, even when he felt alone after losing his money.
Redd is best known for his role as Fred G. Sanford on the television comedy “Sanford and Son.” “The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour,” a show dedicated to him, was even named after him.
Redd had four marriages but no children. Except for fellow comedian and actor Eddie Murphy, he had no one else in his life as he neared the end of his life.
Redd owes the IRS $755,166.21 in overdue taxes in 1989. They elevated his three-bedroom home in Las Vegas when he failed to pay, taking as much as they could to recoup the money.
During the property confiscation, Redd earned $15,000 to $20,000 per week performing at the Hacienda Hotel on the Vegas Strip.
However, he assumed the IRS was after the $500,000 he made from the movie “Harlem Nights.” He said that the IRS was upset with him because of the money he made from the movie.
He also complained that the tax he had to pay was absurd. He stated:
“No single individual in America pays $20,000-a-week in income tax. It’s Hitlerism. This is like a Third World country, coming in taking all of my salary.”
When the agency invaded his home, they took everything they could fit onto their vehicles, including his automobiles and furniture. They attempted to steal his doghouse, but it was too heavy to transport.
They also attempted but failed to take his four dogs. He bemoaned, “They grabbed my necklace and ID bracelet off my wrist, and they took the money out of my purse.”
IRS agents also raided his late mother’s baggage trunks and dumped her items on his garage floor. The IRS raid was not Redd’s first run-in with the agency.
He used to make $4 million a year, but he squandered it on a luxury lifestyle. His financial woes were exacerbated when he was forced to pay his third wife a $300,000 divorce settlement.
He also had to pay a $25,000 lawsuit filed by a hotel employee who claimed Redd cursed at her. He eventually had to declare bankruptcy.
When Redd’s Hollywood buddies failed to show up to assist him, he was devastated. “I haven’t heard from anyone. That’s remarkable. I just can’t believe it. No one at all has called,” he replied.
“I just look for a telegram to say: ‘Hey man, look, I’m sorry. Keep a chin up.'” However, I have yet to get anything. I’ve worked in the industry for 50 years,” he went on to say, “I’ve helped a lot of individuals get started.”
Redd went on to say that he attempted contacting fellow comedian and long-time buddy Eddie Murphy but received no response. He stated:
“Eddie is in a position to totally get me out of this. It wouldn’t hurt him any. I could sign up with him for five years of work, doing something until I pay him back.”
Redd was surprised to receive assistance from fans and neighbors. He stated that one of his three-block neighbors had dropped by with some groceries.
Eddie co-wrote and co-produced “Harlem Nights” with Richard Pryor, and Redd appeared in it. Redd bet Eddie $1000 that he’d get married in a year while they were working on the film, Eddie revealed. Eddie continued:
“We were close, and I did love Redd Foxx. Yeah, I did give him a shout-out [in Dolemite] and all that stuff.”
Redd, his attorney Mark Rissman, and accountant Louis Pittman contacted the IRS after learning that he had lost everything to the IRS.
The three of them devised a payment plan to assist Redd in repaying his debts through auctions, which allowed Redd to avoid having his home taken.
Eddie even produced “The Royal Family,” a sitcom in which Redd played one of the major characters. After a five-year absence from television, Redd was cast in this role.
The terrible death and funeral of the comedian
Redd suffered a heart attack while practicing for the performance “The Royal Family” in 1991. Rachel McCallister, the publicist for the show, detailed the events leading up to his death.
McCallister continued, “they were rehearsing on the set and clowning around, and Redd was sort of breaking people up when he collapsed. They all thought he was joking around at first, and then they called the paramedics.”
Eddie said of Redd’s death, “I had to physically pay for his funeral, buy his headstone, and do all that stuff.” He went on to say that Redd wasn’t the first Hollywood celebrity he’d had to bury.
“I buried so many people over the years. For some strange reason, a lot of people in show business, when they die, they don’t have their stuff in order. Buried a lot of famous people—if you only knew. If you only knew,” he stated.
