Willie Aames got very rich playing goofballs on two popular TV comedies. In the 1970s, he played teenager Tommy Bradford Jr. on “Eight is Enough,” and in the ’80s, he portrayed Buddy Lembeck, best friend of the title character on “Charles in Charge.” “At the very peak I was making a little over a million dollars a year,” he told “Entertainment Tonight” (via HuffPost). “Then suddenly there was no job, no bank account, no wife, no child.”
Aames’ accountant talked the actor into pouring his fortune into an investment in a coal mine. The deal soured, and Aames wound up unenriched as well as in debt to the IRS for $400,000. “When my house went into foreclosure, that’s when it was really devastating for me because I lost everything,” Aames told The Wrap.
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Aames was left alone after his spouse had left him, taking their daughter with her, which may have led to a suicide attempt. “I gave people a lot of cause for concern and I think they acted on those concerns. I’m glad they did. Beyond that, that time period is a blur,” he told ET. With about $5 to his name and unhoused, Aames lived with friends when possible, but otherwise resorted to sleeping in public parks and parking garages.
