What has Wayne Newton been doing since he lost all his money?

Wayne Newton was born in 1942. He was one of the most popular singers in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s. But his life has been a rollercoaster, especially when it comes to money, with incredible highs and surprising lows.

Wayne has been playing music for as long as he can remember. When he was only five, he got his first job at his local radio station in Virginia. He played the steel guitar and sang country music. His family moved to Phoenix because of his asthma, and he became a local star there, too. He even performed with his brother Jerry on a TV show called ‘Rascals in Rhythm’.

In 1962, he was asked to perform for Jackie Gleason, who was very impressed with the 20-year-old performer.

In 1963, Wayne signed with Capitol Records and started releasing his hits, including ‘Danke Schoen’, which he originally wrote for Bobby Darin. He was travelling around the world and offered his TV show, but he turned it down because Lucille Ball advised him not to.

The first part of his 39.5-acre estate in Paradise, Nevada, was first bought by him in 1966. Wayne ended up filling the lake up with 120 Arabian horses, a helicopter landing pad, loads of fancy cars, and huge houses for himself and his family.

He developed eight homes over the years. He built a luxury home for himself, which was designed to look like the plantation in ‘Gone with the Wind’. By 1979, he had around 70 servants and personal assistants.

He was tired of working for other people (mostly Howard Hughes) in Las Vegas, so Newton and his partner Ed Torres bought the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas for around $55 million in 1983.

He had owned the hotel for 12 years. Then he went bankrupt because he owed $20 million. A lot of the money was spent on the hotel and lawyer fees while selling NBC for libel. But he started performing again because of his reputation.

But Wayne still had money problems. In 2005, the IRS said he owed them $1.8 million. In 2009, the Oakland County Airport noted it still had to pay them more than $60,000 for having left a $2 million aeroplane there for three years. He also had several lawsuits filed against him for non-payment.

In 2010, CBS News said it was one of the top five homes in the country, but it had to be sold. The Newtons sold the estate to the company CDS (of which they were part owners) to turn the home into a museum.

A capuchin monkey bit two people visiting the house/museum. The neighbours also complained for a long time. The house/museum closed in 2018 for renovations and never reopened. The Newtons had to leave for good. The house was eventually sold at a low price of $5.56 million, then resold for $10.35 million, according to the Las Vegas press. In 2022, it was listed for $25 million.

Well, Newton, now 83, has been working in the music industry for most of his life.

Wayne is a legend in Vegas. He has had his fair share of financial ups and downs, but he is still famous for his charismatic performances and unique singing voice.