After years of debate and unpaid debts, legendary entertainer Sammy Davis Jrâs estate has yet be resolved according to an upcoming novel. Titled âDeconstructing Sammy,â the novel written by journalist Matt Birbeck reports that Davis died broke and in debt to the IRS, leaving his estate in such ruin that it remains unresolved today. Despite earning more than $50 million in lifetime earnings, Davis died in 1990 some $15 million in debt, owing more than half to the IRS for investments in bogus tax shelters. Although the novel goes through great detail about Davisâ life, the biggest surprise is that Davis didn’t have to die. According to Birbeck, after a cancer diagnosis in August 1989, doctors recommended surgery on Davisâ throat that offered an 80 percent chance of survival. He opted instead for radiation, which had a slim 30 percent survival rate. Davis made his decision based on his dismal finances. If he couldn’t sing, he reasoned, he couldn’t make money. Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness, and the Mob is due on bookshelves September 16th.
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