Though Sanford and Son ended decades ago, its star Redd Foxx’s death still casts a shadow over its legacy.
Redd Foxx, the comedic genius behind Fred Sanford, died in 1991 after collapsing on set — in a bitter twist, many thought he was joking. He was filming The Royal Family, his comeback sitcom, when he suffered a heart attack.
What fans didn’t know was that Foxx was drowning in debt, despite years of television success. Reports revealed that he owed millions to the IRS and was being chased by creditors. He had sold off homes, jewelry, and even memorabilia from Sanford and Son to stay afloat.
Foxx had never fully recovered from the fallout with NBC and the tensions that ended Sanford and Son. Despite being a trailblazer in Black television, he felt abandoned by Hollywood, and friends say he died heartbroken.
Ironically, the man who made America laugh about fake heart attacks died from a real one — alone, on a set, fighting for a second chance.
