Former Kid Star Willie Aames' Personal Economic Crisis

Erstwhile Eight Is Enough and Charles in Charge star is selling off his belongings to help pay his debts

By Josh Grossberg Mar 27, 2009 1:45 PMTags
Willie Aames Chris Weeks/Getty images

Turns out eight isn't enough for Willie Aames. He needs lots, lots more.

The erstwhile Eight Is Enough sibling and Scott Baio's sidekick in Charles In Charge was forced to hold a garage sale at his Olathe, Kan., home on Thursday to get some quick cash to pay off his debts.

The former Teen Beat poster boy, now 48, sold a slew of autographed photos, posters and other TV and movie memorabilia from his days as Tommy Bradford on Eight, which aired from 1977 to 1981, and Buddy Lembeck on Charles in Charge, which ran from 1984 to 1990.

Per the Kansas City Star, other items up for grabs included a plush leather couch, artwork, a piano, a lion head mounted on an oak pedestal, stuffed wild boars and a TV set.

During his Teen Beat poster boy 1980s heyday, Aames picked up a drug and alcohol habit that he struggled to kick for more than two decades. In the '90s, he became a born-again Christian and ordained minister, even starring in his own Bibleman videos. He didn't totally eschew Hollywood, appearing on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club 2 in 2005.

But hard times befell the actor. Aames tried unsuccessfully to commit suicide last year after declaring bankruptcy. His car was also repossessed and his wife left him after 22 years. His home is now in foreclosure.

While Aames may be a casualty of the dire economic climate, don't count him out just yet. A camera crew was on hand to capture his fire sale for a TV documentary about his life.