Gest was willing to poke fun of himself and his unusual appearance, which was the result, incidentally, of knowing the same plastic surgeon as Jackson in the 1980s. The Show Must Go OnĮventually, he found fame, beyond his notorious association with Minnelli, in the UK after appearing on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, where the public warmed to his eccentric nature and self-deprecating sense of humor. Gest attempted to sue Minnelli for $10 million on the grounds that she had physically abused him during the relationship, an accusation Minnelli denied. In 2002, he married Liza Minnelli, but the couple separated a year later, due, he alleged, to Minnelli’s persistent alcoholism. Gest was a close childhood friend of Michael Jackson and in 2001, he persuaded the Jackson 5 to reunite for a one-off television special, which became the highest-rated musical television special ever. Gest was known to suffer from hypertension and had been in poor health. His death is not being treated as suspicious by police. “His losses didn’t seem to affect him but in a 12-month period it was a substantial amount, it was six figures. “He would spend 24 hours a day chasing the jackpot,” a source told The Sun. “David wouldn’t think twice about spending £10,000 in one sitting. It’s alleged he lost over £100,000 at the Grosvenor casino chain alone over the past 12 months, and reportedly regularly blew four-figure sums on roulette tables, as well as through his slot machine binges. His company, David Gest Ltd, had debts of £474,000 ($670,000) and had been insolvent for some time while Gest himself had just £57,629 ($81,000) in his bank account, said The Sun. “Friends” of Gest told the newspaper that the impresario, who forged a second career in later life in the UK as a reality TV star, had run up large gambling debts over the past year. Gest, 62, was found dead in a hotel room in the Canary Wharf area of London on Tuesday. (Image: .uk)ĭavid Gest, the showbiz promoter and former husband of Liza Minnelli, was addicted to slot machines and almost broke by the time of his death, according to British tabloid The Sun. David Gest, who passed away on Tuesday, was blowing large amounts on casino binges in the months before his death, according to reports.
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