Mickey Rooney Spent His Final Days 'Helpless' and Unable to Buy Food by Himself

Mickey Rooney’s final years alive were riddled with him feeling frustrated, scared, and trapped. That is what the legendary actor admitted during his elder abuse case against his wife.

Mickey Rooney allegedly endured a lot of abuse before he died in the summer of 2014. In July 2010, an author of one of his books witnessed the actor being abused by his 8th wife, Jan, according to “The Hollywood Reporter.”

She allegedly made him choke back tears when she kicked him under the table while at The Grill on the Alley in Thousand Oaks. At the time, the actor was quite diminutive in stature at the age of 89.

Jan allegedly hurt her husband at the time because she felt he was rambling in his answers. His stepson, Chris Aber, was the one who shared the incident as he had been included in the interview.

Mickey was reportedly experiencing elder abuse at the hands of his wife and stepson. For the July 2010 interview to occur, Jan and Chris allegedly asked for a $200 check to be given to them when the actor wasn’t looking.

The interviewer also had to treat the trio to lunch with Jan going beyond by ordering dinner later on. The star’s abuse only became public knowledge five years after that interview and more than a year after Mickey’s death.

The publication discovered witness testimonies, financial records, and legal documents that proved the icon was abused. On April 6, 2014, he passed away in a Studio City rental at 93, with only a mere $18,000.

Mickey was buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. In 2011, the star was able to testify before a Senate committee on how he had suffered from elder abuse, confessing this about his experience:

“I felt trapped, scared, and frustrated.”

On February 14, 2011, Chris was served with a restraining order that accused him of financially exploiting Mickey as his business manager. Herb Kohl ended up reading press reports about the actor’s conservator.

The conservator was the one who was pursuing elder abuse charges, and that’s when Kohl invited Mickey to testify about his experiences. The star’s attorneys were the ones who filed for a conservatory.

This was initiated in an effort to protect the actor and to recover his assets. According to reports, the star, who felt helpless, wasn’t allowed to buy his own food or carry any identification while staying with Jan.

For her part, Jan said she was falsely accused at the Senate testimony, which she declared unreliable. She claimed his elderly status and being mentally unfit made him easy to influence by other people.

In October 2015, she and Chris lived at Mickey’s house while getting $100,000 yearly from his Screen Actors Guild (SAG) pension and Social Security benefits. The alleged abuse wasn't only physical but financial too.

One time, the star was being brought for a visit with his wife; he saw Chris and allegedly cowered in fear in the car. Before he was taken off his post, Chris reportedly spent Mickey’s money without any regard for him.

In March 2011, Mickey's finances were permanently handed to his conservator lawyer, Michael Augustine, after a court reportedly discovered that money was missing from the star's accounts.

Mickey’s [Rooney] wife [Jan Rooney] of 35 years allegedly learned about his death from the media.

Augustine claimed $400,000 had disappeared, leaving his client with little money. The late star allegedly found himself frequently needing to wear the same clothes and had only one pair of shoes.

Chris was accused of blocking information about Mickey’s finances. The star’s stepson denied any wrongdoing, and a temporary restraining order was brought against him for bullying and intimidation.

In December 2015, Jan accused her other son, Mark, of faking her late husband’s will before poisoning him. The actor’s body was to be exhumed for a new autopsy to see if it was true that he was poisoned.

Mark and his wife Charlene Aber were the ones who were looking after the legendary actor in the final years of his life. Jan claimed her son also had literature about how to poison someone and information on autopsies.

Mickey’s wife of 35 years allegedly learned about his death from the media. She confessed at the time that she hadn’t seen him since April 2013, claiming she found out about his death via a call from someone from “TMZ.”