David Gest Death reveals £500k in Gambling Debt

Famed producer David Gest recently ed away in London, leaving behind a legacy that includes creating Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration and numerous reality TV appearances. Unfortunately, it’s also been revealed that he left behind a gambling debt worth over £500,000.

Reports suggest that many of the losses came within the final months of his life. Although most of his gambling was relegated to 50-pence slot machines, he played so much at UK casinos that he sometimes lost £10,000 or more per day.

“He would spend 24 hours a day chasing the jackpot. David wouldn’t think twice about spending £10,000 in one sitting,” said one of Gest’s friends. “His losses didn’t seem to affect him but in a 12-month period it was a substantial amount, it was six figures. It was an addiction.”

These comments seem to be confirmed by the fact that people sometimes tweeted pictures of Gest while he was playing slots.

It also didn’t help the 62-year-old’s bank that he was living in a £1,800-per-night hotel suite at London’s posh East Side Hotel.

The fact that Gest finally succumbed to health problems is not a big surprise. He actually had to leave the Celebrity Big Brother House when his blood pressure reading was 200/120 – far worse than the 120/80 standard.

He also suffered from severe insomnia, which might have played into his 24-hour slot binges.

Despite his high blood pressure and insomnia, Gest was planning a David Gest Is Not Dead musical tour across the UK. Even though Gest is now deceased, his friends still plan on running the show, which includes a number of notable singers.

The American-born producer gained famed for his celebrity friendship with Michael Jackson and his 2001 marriage to singing legend Liza Minnelli. The latter relationship fell apart in 2007, though, with Gest eventually suing his wife for $10 million after claiming spousal abuse.

This rocky marriage did help fuel Gest’s recent career, though, leading to appearances on several British reality shows.

Unfortunately, fame and fortune didn’t mask health problems for Gest, and he was said to be alone for the last 48 hours of his life. And because of his slots addiction and massive hotel-living expenses, he won’t have any fortune leftover for his family .