Sanford and Son is classic black television at its finest and the show’s star, Redd Foxx, quickly rose to icon status with his wit and his grit playing the role of grumpy junk man Fred G. Sanford. But many people don’t know that when the cameras were off Redd was by no means living the life of a junk dealer in L.A.’s Watts neighborhood. He had amassed, and ultimately ran through, a very hefty fortune that once he passed away became fair game to, not only his loved ones, but to the IRS as well.
Redd Was A Star Way Before Sanford and Son
Though many recognize him as the grouch surrounded by mountains of junk on NBC’s Sanford and Son Redd had long been a staple in the comedy world. He had been making audiences laugh since the 1940’s and by the time he’d snagged the title role on Sanford and Son he had put out so many comedy albums that Redd was at one time dubbed “The King of Party Albums” since his material was so raunchy people would throw parties to listen to his albums after hours, turning many living rooms into comedy clubs where Redd Foxx was the main act. His fame was only heightened with a successful run as a headliner in Las Vegas, which solidified his spot as one of the great comedy legends of all time.
But aside from making people laugh, Redd also loved the ladies, having been married four times. His fourth wife, a Korean woman named Ka Ho Foxx, had been married to Redd for a few months at the time of his death and entered into a financial showdown with Redd’s daughter Debraca and the public administrator of Las Vegas (where Redd resided st the time of his death) John Cahill for years after his death.
