# Sanford and Son (1993) Cast Reveals Redd Foxx’s Shocking Secret

Over three decades after Redd Foxx’s death, his *Sanford and Son* co-star Demond Wilson has unveiled a devastating truth about the comedy legend’s downfall. Foxx, who rose to fame as Fred Sanford in the iconic 1970s sitcom, died broke and abandoned by Hollywood on October 11, 1991, at age 68.

Wilson, now 77 in 2025, holds no sympathy for Foxx, revealing a secret of financial irresponsibility that led to his ruin. While Wilson diligently paid his taxes, Foxx filed returns annually but never paid what he owed, a pattern that persisted until the IRS seized everything.

Foxx’s financial chaos unfolded dramatically as he sat outside his home in a t-shirt, watching trucks haul away his possessions—cars, jewelry, and furniture—while pleading for help that never came.

Wilson, who witnessed this fall from grace, recalls Foxx lamenting, “It seems like somebody would help me,” but offers no empathy, believing Foxx’s troubles were self-inflicted. Despite earning millions at his peak, including $4 million in a single year during *Sanford and Son*’s run, Foxx spent lavishly and ignored his mounting tax debt, owing over $3.6 million at his death.

The irony of Foxx’s demise was stark. Famous for fake heart attacks as Fred Sanford, clutching his chest and yelling, “This is the big one,” he suffered a real, fatal heart attack on the set of *The Royal Family* in 1991.

Initially, cast and crew thought it was a prank until they realized he wasn’t getting up. Whispering, “Get my wife,” before paramedics arrived, Foxx passed at 7:45 p.m. that evening. His widow couldn’t afford funeral costs due to his debts, but Eddie Murphy, who idolized Foxx and cast him in *Harlem Nights* (1989), stepped in to fund a star-studded sendoff in Las Vegas, contrasting Hollywood’s neglect.

Wilson’s relationship with Foxx was professional yet distant. On-screen, their father-son dynamic was TV gold, but off-screen, Wilson avoided Foxx’s chaos, maintaining his own financial discipline.

When Foxx abruptly left *Sanford and Son* in 1977 without informing Wilson, it hurt personally but not professionally, as Wilson had secured a million-dollar CBS contract. Wilson’s old-school view on personal responsibility shapes his harsh stance—he believes Foxx architected his own destruction, surrounded by parasitic hangers-on who vanished when the money did.

Despite his flaws, Foxx’s generosity was a hidden strength. He gave $3,500 to Pat Morita for a house down payment and helped countless Black performers secure roles, insisting on cultural authenticity in scripts.

Yet, this kindness couldn’t save him from financial ruin. Wilson’s candidness exposes Hollywood’s hypocrisy—celebrities celebrated Foxx posthumously but ignored him in crisis. Murphy’s loyalty stands out, having tried to revive Foxx’s career with *The Royal Family*, only to witness his tragic end. Foxx’s story remains a cautionary tale of talent overshadowed by poor decisions, a legacy of laughter tainted by personal failure.