From Teen Icons to Troubled Times: Pop Stars Who Hit Rock Bottom – A 90s Star Left Homeless at Christmas and a Boyband Heartthrob on Universal Credit

THEY saw chart success and played shows to thousands – but in the decades since these stars lost it all as their fame faded and royalties dried up.

Just yesterday, a former member of one of the biggest rock bands of the nineties had to launch a GoFundMe page for donations after falling on hard times.

Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Arik Marshall has started a GoFundMe to raise donations Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith, Arik Marshall and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1992 Hannah Spearritt was left homeless after S Club 7 split

Arik Marshall played guitar with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and joined the band in 1992, replacing John Frusciante.

But despite touring with the band and playing shows at festivals in front of tens of thousands of fans, he’s since fallen on hard times amid struggles to find work and health woes.

So far, the talented musician has raised $2,000 towards a target of $20,000 to repay a debt to his landlord.

Revealing his struggles, page organiser Gisette Hidalgo said: “Arik was diagnosed with a serious health condition which left him with a weakened immune system.

“All of this triggered a period of depression and several years of reclusiveness.

“Arik struggled to find consistent work and fell deeper into debt to his landlord.”

Her ultimate hope is that those who remember Arik will find out about his situation and either help or spread awareness about his troubles.

However, Arik is far from the only star who tasted the heights of fame only to then find themselves struggling to pay the bills.

Tragically, some weren’t even able to keep a roof over their heads – and had to seek out friends’ sofas or their cars for shelter.

Here, The Sun takes a look at some of the biggest musical stars who ended up losing it all.

John Hendy – East 17

East 17 were one of the most popular boybands of the 90s, but in the three decades since their chart-topping Christmas hit Stay Another Day, one of its stars has been living a very different way of life.

and is far from a rich man despite what many would assume – and at one point even had to sign on for benefits.

Despite a million pound record deal their manager Tom Watkins paid them a mere £125 a week, raised by £25 every four months.

John found himself homeless after moving back from Spain The singer was in one of the biggest boy bands of the 90s

Shortly before the pandemic John moved to Spain with his wife Nina, but when lockdown hit he was forced to move back amid precarious financial circumstances.

“We didn’t have any money,” he told the MailOnline.

“I had to borrow money from my cousin to get the flight back. Then we didn’t have anywhere to live, no one would put me up.

“My cousin paid for a hotel for about ten days, and then I had to get on Universal Credit.”

John and his wife and kids then had to share a single room in a hostel for a year and a half, living alongside drug users – but thankfully he is now back on his feet with regular work.

Hannah Spearritt – S Club 7

S Club 7 star Hannah Spearritt lived in temporary accommodation for half a year She now lives off-grid in Costa Rica

Like other 90s stars, S Club 7 singer Hannah Spearritt faced years of financial difficulties following the group’s fall from fame.

found herself homeless over Christmas and living in a friend’s office after being forced out by her landlord with just two days’ notice back in 2022.

She also had to live in temporary accommodation along with her partner and two small children for six months.

, told The Sun: “Our landlord needed the money and the property sold so fast…we didn’t have time to find another place.

“We had somewhere over Christmas but ran out of time before we could move in.

“We were allowed to stay in our friend’s office. We just used it as our living room. It was stressful but you deal with it, don’t you?

“People think we must all be millionaires but sadly it’s just not true,” she said, adding that the band’s pay was tiny “compared to the money being made.”

In May 2023, her woes continued when she dropped out of the S Club reunion tour following the tragic death of bandmate Paul Cattermole.

She has since made headlines for swapping life in the UK to at the start of this year to live as a “prepper”.

Sinitta

Despite being one of the biggest singers of the era, battled homelessness after coming into financial difficulty because of an unexpected tax bill.

Sinitta was one of the biggest stars of the 80s The singer opened up on Loose Women about living in her car

The star opened about her struggles on Loose Women last year, telling the panel: “I think this was back in the early 90s, I did live in my car because I hadn’t managed money well, I also panicked because I had a tax bill and I knee-jerked sold the house to pay my tax bill, and gave up the house to a friend.

The singer added that she struggled most not with the fact she was homeless, but with the shame of being such a big star while having nowhere to live.

“On the outside everything looked great and fine but I was actually sleeping in my car,” she said, adding that she was able to access water for showers and had her clothes in a self-storage unit, but had only a small amount of money left over for food.

“I desperately didn’t want anyone else to know because I’m supposed to be ‘happy Sinitta and everything’s great’.”

Sandra McKenzie – Goldbug

Singer Sandra McKenzie became famous to telly watchers around the country as the voice of the “Woah Bodyform” song in the brand’s adverts, living the high life and even owning a yacht.

Sandra McKenzie shot to fame in an iconic 90s advert The singer ended up homeless in Dundee and Oxford

She also saw success reaching number three in the charts as part of the group Goldbug, and even dated Prince.

But in 2018 in her hometown of Dundee after over-generosity and bad financial decisions left her penniless.

She told The Sun: “I lived the high life and burned through money like it didn’t matter.

“At one point I had five houses. It was proper rock and roll…but then I seemed to go from one bad situation to another throughout the years and I haven’t been able to bounce back.

“I went to my hometown of Dundee in 2015 but ended up in a homeless shelter after I couldn’t keep up with my rent.

“After that I came to Oxford and slept on the streets for six months which almost broke me. I had all my property stolen from me and I was raped twice.”

After moving into a house in an Oxford suburb, Sandra miraculously survived a savage attack by a neighbour that saw her stabbed 49 times.

Kule T – MN8

Boy band member back in the 90s, the group behind hits such as I’ve Got a Little Something for You.

MN8 star Kule T battled homelessness after he fell out of love with music The boyband star is now making a comeback

But after the R&B group disbanded at the turn of the millennium, the star found himself battling demons amid their fall from fame.

Speaking to former Bad Boys Inc member Ally Begg in March, Kule T admitted he was on the brink of suicide after falling out of love with music – then found himself living a double life, putting on a facade of normality while secretly battling homelessness.

He said: “It became pretty traumatic. And at the time of my split with my wife, I was in and out walking the street, I had nowhere to be.

“I was like four o’clock walking the street, trying to find somewhere to sleep. And at the time I was working as well, so I then had to hide it from work.

“I used to rustle up some money, find a hotel that’s like 50 quid, go and get dressed, make sure I’m clean…and just basically went to work and just sold the story of everything’s cool.”

It was only after a colleague realised something was wrong and offered him a place to stay that the singer was able to regain his love of songwriting and make a comeback.

Antony Costa – Blue

They were one of the biggest bands of the era, but found himself in hard times as he struggled to adjust to life without millions in the bank – even ending up homeless and near bankruptcy.

Antony Costa found himself in dire financial circumstances after Blue split up The star was forced out his home after he couldn’t keep up with the mortgage

“I went from earning £250,000 a month on a tour to £400 a month acting in Blood Brothers,” he told the Daily Mail.

“I wasn’t saving any of my money along the way and I had champagne taste with lemonade money.”

Unable to keep up payments on his £7,000 a month mortgage, the star ended up losing his home and instead was forced to stay at his parents’ place or on his friend’s sofa.

He continued: “I thought Blue was going to last forever, and any money I did have left at the end of Blue I wasn’t advised on how to save it, but I don’t blame anyone for that.

“You have to stand on your own two feet in life no matter how tough it gets. I am not really one to ask others for help no matter what is going on, perhaps that is a weakness or just my pride but I prefer to see it as a strength.”

With his life now back on track, he added: “We have got a good team around us today who help me and the boys out with financial advice…we are now properly advised and we know where every penny is going.”