Mike Reid, best known for playing Frank Butcher in EastEnders, died penniless in 2007 after a series of personal tragedies and financial ruin. The 67-year-old actor, who rose from the East End club circuit to nationwide fame, lost his fortune and, in his own words, 'everything that mattered'.
Reid's life was marked by heartbreak. In 1990, his youngest son Mark killed a friend in a shooting and then set himself on fire, dying from his injuries. Months later, Reid's granddaughter died from cot death. Years earlier, his first child had died five days after birth.
The actor also suffered financially after a catastrophic investment in Spain wiped out much of his wealth, leaving him and his family in difficulty. Despite health warnings, he was a heavy smoker for most of his life.
Reid died of a suspected heart attack in Marbella, Spain, in July 2007, just weeks after being given a clean bill of health. His legacy as Frank Butcher, the flashy car dealer and landlord of the Queen Vic, remains one of the most memorable in soap history.
