How Johnny Depp blew his half billion bounty: Pirates of the Caribbean star bought £60million of houses, a private island and £25,000 of wine every month
There has been no shortage of jaw-dropping revelations during the Johnny Depp libel trial.
One disclosure, however, really is a riddle wrapped in an enigma — the assertion made last week that Depp found out in 2016 that he had ‘lost’ $650 million (£510 million).
Depp explained to the court in London that he had been late to Amber Heard’s 30th birthday party as he was having an important meeting with his advisers.
He told the court: ‘Since Pirates II and III, I had made — and it seems a ludicrous number — $650 million.
‘When I fired (my previous management) I had not only lost the $650 million but I was $100 million in the hole because they had not paid the government my taxes for 17 years. It was a bad meeting.’
The astonishing figure amounts to considerably more than Depp, 57, is usually said to be worth by generally reliable sources such as Forbes maHowever, as incredible as the sum sounds, given that Depp earned between £45 million and £60 million a year for 12 years between 2004 and 2016, he could have comfortably earned in the region of £600 million.
Most recently his wealth was estimated to be in the region of £160 million.
It would certainly explain why Depp was said to be ‘on the brink of bankruptcy’ in a sympathetic piece by Rolling Stone magazine in 2018. A series of law suits against his advisers — dubbed by one lawyer ‘the endless Johnny Depp litigation train’ — also indicate all was not well financially.
So how did he get here? Did Depp blow hundreds of millions, due to what some associates dub a ‘compulsive spending disorder?’ Or is someone else to blame for his financial downfall?
A £60m passion for property
Johnny’s house habit began with the kind gesture of buying a 41-acre farm in Kentucky for his mother and other family members in 1995.
He also bought her an apartment in LA.
Documents from the 2017 legal action against his advisers reveal Depp spent £60 million on properties.
His portfolio includes five houses in the Hollywood Hills worth £15 million (one is pictured below) plus five penthouses in Los Angeles. He has latterly sold two of these.
He has a 37-acre compound called Hameau in France, complete with its own private restaurant, Chez Marceline, and personalised china.
In 2015 Depp reluctantly agreed to sell the property to pay debts, according to court papers.
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