Scott Thorson lived a life that could’ve easily been the plot of a dramatic movie. By the time he passed away at 65 from cancer and heart disease, his journey had already been immortalized in the film Behind the Candelabra. But aside from the glamour and glitz, what really stands out is how this guy went from living the high life with a fortune to basically pleading for help by the end of it all.
So, here’s what we’re getting into—Scott Thorson’s rollercoaster ride with money. He once had a settlement worth a small fortune from his palimony case against Liberace and made some cash from his memoir, Behind the Candelabra. But, somehow, it all slipped away and by 2012, he was broke.
In this article, we’re going to unpack how Scott managed to blow through his wealth and how things got so bad that he was even caught using stolen credit cards in 2013.
The Rise and Fall of Scott’s Fortune
Scott Thorson’s rise to wealth started off as the stuff of fairy tales. I mean, imagine being in your late teens and suddenly thrown into the glittering world of Liberace—living in mansions, driving luxury cars, and getting showered with gifts.
Scott didn’t exactly walk away empty-handed after his split from Liberace in the 80s. He received a cash settlement of $75,000, along with three cars and some pets, which added up to an extra $20,000 in value. All in all, that payout would be worth about $264,000 in today’s money.
Scott led an affluent life, all thanks to the settlement and his memoir, which was eventually made into a 2013 film by the same name, Behind the Candelabra. Now, for some context: when a book gets adapted into a film, authors typically earn around 2-3 percent of the production budget for the film rights. In Scott’s case, the movie had a $23 million budget. This means he could have potentially made a decent chunk of change from the deal.
All in all, at some point in time, he was worth more than $1 million. But like any rollercoaster, Scott’s high-flying lifestyle eventually crashed.
His money didn’t last long, thanks to reckless spending and a deepening drug addiction. By 2012, he was in rough shape—financially and physically. Struggling with cancer and other health problems, Scott was asking for help just to cover his medical bills. He even tried to ride the wave of Behind the Candelabra’s release by re-launching his memoir, but it wasn’t enough to pull him out of his downward spiral.
Things got worse in 2013 when Scott got caught up in another legal mess. He was arrested for using stolen credit cards, and it took $125,000 to bail him out—money that was paid by Dennis Hof, the owner of the Moonlite BunnyRanch.
For a guy who had once been living the high life alongside Liberace, it was a tough fall from grace. By the time he passed, Scott’s life had become a tragic blend of fame, bad choices, and harsh consequences.
