Mickey Rooney endured so much abuse before he passed away 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.
Mickey Rooney at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter on March 2, 2014, in West Hollywood, California | Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
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 experiencing elder abuse at the hands of his wife and stepson. For the July 2010 interview to occur, Jan and Chris asked for a $200 check to be given to them when the actor wasn’t looking.
Mickey and wife Jan Rooney at a reception in honor of director Blake Edwards on February 26, 2004, at The Annex in Hollywood, California | Photo: Doug Benc/Getty Images
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 ended up dying in a Studio City rental at 93, with only a mere $18,000.
Mickey Rooney during the 14th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on January 27, 2008, in Los Angeles, California | Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Mickey was buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. In 2011, the star was able to testify before a Senate committee how he had suffered from elder abuse, confessing this about his experience:
“I felt trapped, scared, and frustrated.”
Jan and Mickey Rooney at the 81st Annual Academy Awards on February 22, 2009, in Los Angeles, California | Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
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 Mickey invited Rooney to testify about his experiences. The star’s attorneys were the ones who filed for a conservatory.
Mickey Rooney in a black-and-white image on September 2, 1988 | Photo: John Downing/Getty Images
This was initiated in an effort to protect the actor and to recover his assets. Reportedly, 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.
Mickey Rooney as Oliver Nugent on “One of the Boys” circa 1982 | Photo: NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
In October 2015, she and Chris lived at Mickey’s house while receiving $100,000 a year from the star’s Screen Actors Guild (SAG) pension and Social Security benefits. The 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 cowered in fear in the car. Before he was taken off his post, Chris would spend Mickey’s money without regard for him.
Aw RIP Mickey Rooney. He and his eighth wife Jan once did my bondings interview in the Sunday Independent. Great fun couple.
— Andrea Smith (@AndreaMarySmith) April 7, 2014
In March 2011, Mickey’s finances were permanently handed to his conservator lawyer, Michael Augustine, after a court 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 that $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.”