Macaulay Culkin’s path from child star to troubled figure is marked by tragedy. Despite early fame, his family faced financial strain, living in cramped quarters. Culkin’s relationship with his father was marred by mistreatment and control, worsened by a bitter custody battle
He took legal action to protect his wealth amidst fame’s pressures, retiring early due to paparazzi harassment and public scrutiny. His friendship with Michael Jackson brought solace but also controversy amidst abuse allegations.
After spending much of his childhood on movie sets, serving as a cash cow for his parents, teenage Macaulay Culkin had become burned out. He desperately wanted to take some time off. “I just wanted a little bit of a break. I wanted a summer vacation for the first time in, you know, forever,” Culkin told Time.
As he explained while appearing on “Larry King Live,” the pace at which he was working had taken a toll on him. “I did 14 movies in six years, which is more than two a year, and just kind of pumping them out,” he explained. “And I was at this point where I really wanted to take a break … I always joke, ‘Yeah, I retired at 14.’”
After his “retirement,” Culkin began reveling in living the life of a typical teenager, including going to high school at the Professional Children’s School, which caters to child actors and other kids involved in creative careers. Even though he’d stopped making movies and retreated from Hollywood, his fame remained undiminished, something he realized when he dyed his hair crazy colors. “I did purple and I did pink and I did orange, and they made such a big deal out of it — it was on the cover of People!” he told New York Magazine.
Macaulay Culkin’s older sister, Dakota, was hit by a car while walking in Los Angeles. Just a year older than the “Home Alone” star, she died shortly after the accident. Speaking with Esquire more than a decade later, Culkin reflected on the tragic loss. “She passed away 11 years ago tomorrow,” he said. “Tonight,” he added, as in 11 years to the day, “was the last time I talked to her, and she passed away overnight, kinda thing.”
His helthy was to bad in each year
Pray for him
The Corpse of Drew Barrymore’s Grandfather Was Stolen for One Last Celebration
John Barrymore came from a long line of theater actors. He himself first appeared on stage alongside his father in 1900, and in 1903 officially began his career, starring in the likes of Justice (1916) and Richard III (1920). His greatest role was his 1992 appearance in Hamlet, for which he was dubbed “the greatest living American tragedian.”
Barrymore also starred in a slew of silent films, most notably Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920), Sherlock Holmes (1922) and Beau Brummel (1924). He later made the transition to sound movies, starring in the likes of Grand Hotel (1932) and Midnight (1939).
On May 29, 1942, Barrymore died at the age of 60 from pneumonia and cirrhosis. What happened next has been the subject of many rumors. It’s alleged his friends, Errol Flynn, W.C. Fields and Sadakichi Hartmann snuck into the morgue where his body was being held, propped him up against a poker table and allowed him to experience one final celebration.
As it turns out, these rumors are true! In an August 2020 episode of the popular YouTube series Hot Ones, the acting legend’s granddaughter, Drew Barrymore, revealed his corpse had actually been stolen.
“Not only yes, but there have been cinematic interpretations of it,” she exclaimed. Those interpretations include S.O.B., starring Julie Andrews, and allegedly the 1989 comedy Weekend at Bernie’s, in which two friends pretend their deceased boss is alive.
Barrymore added that she wants the same to happen to her. “I will say this, I hope my friends do the same for me. That is the kind of spirit I can get behind. Just prop the old bag up, let’s have a few rounds.
“I think death comes with so much morose sadness and I understand that, but if it’s okay, just for me, if everybody could be really happy and celebratory and have a party, that would be my preference.”
Vintage Hollywood certainly was a different era…
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