20 Haunting Mansions Left To Rot After Being Forgotten By Their Millionaire Owners

Hole frontwoman Courtney Love’s former mansion became, ahem, a bit of a hole after being left abandoned for years. The widow of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain purchased the three-bedroom, seven-acre cottage in rural Olympia, Washington, for a little under $450,000. That was back in 1995 — 12 months after her husband’s untimely death at the age of 27. But the once-lavish home fell into a state of disrepair.

Until it was bought in 2018 the cottage was notable for the mess it was in. Pictures captured from the outside showed just how derelict it had become, with crumbling weatherboarding, graffiti and debris scattered around. The guesthouse looked as though it had been hit by a tornado and the barn resembled something akin to a drug den. Inside, the place had been ransacked, with no flooring, more graffiti and litter scattered everywhere. Let’s hope those who bought it have improved it a bit!

Former NBA forward Ken Norman earned himself some big paychecks, and acquired this mansion in the small village of Flossmoor, Illinois, in 1989 for a cool $430,000. Norman built extensively around the luxury five-bedroom home on South Kedzie Avenue, including adding a basketball court and an indoor swimming pool. But the residence would eventually wind up abandoned, surrounded by tall grass and sprayed in ugly graffiti. You see, the Los Angeles Clippers star’s financial problems caught up with him and he had to put it on the market.

Inside the mansion, things had deteriorated just as much. The YouTube channel Strange Places showed the level of disrepair in 2018, with graffiti, cracked tiles, broken glass and trash all scattered around the interior. The original fireplace remains. But even the real estate agent in charge of selling Norman’s old crib gave a warning to potential buyers that year. They noted that it was “in need of repairs throughout” and that there was “severe mold in [the] property,” even writing, “Enter at your own risk!” Oh dear!

After conquering the world with British heavy metal band Deep Purple, singer Ian Gillan was able to purchase this sprawling manor in the Oxfordshire countryside back in 1973. But despite the rocker pumping about $500,000 into improving the mansion further, it would later get used as first a hotel and then a care home for the elderly, before being abandoned entirely.

A broke Gillan flogged the place in 1995 and the place became uninhabited circa 2015. YouTuber and explorer Warren Tepper filmed a video from inside the uninhabited former rock star’s abode, and what he found was grim. Exposed electrical wires and mold were present across the walls of the many rooms. Also, the once beautiful guitar-shaped pool was filled with little but dirt, weeds and a shallow puddle of filthy water. Eww!

The father of supermodel sisters Gigi and Bella Hadid, real estate developer Mohamed Hadid has a fortune in the millions. But the hillside home he had built in the Bel Air area of Los Angeles has caused more than a few headaches for him, the city authorities and neighbors since building work commenced in 2011. Hadid’s new pad was bigger than its planning approval allowed, and construction halted for a time. Reportedly work was then restarted on the sly, culminating in Hadid being busted and getting community service. The development has been abandoned ever since.

So, on the hillside in Bel Air there is a huge, unfinished, and unoccupied mansion. The house covers over 30,000 square feet. There are two reportedly two swimming pools inside. In 2018 Bel Air residents close to the property filed a multi-million lawsuit against Hadid, fearing the abandoned mansion would collapse. And in 2020 the Supreme Court of California delivered the verdict that the unfinished mansion was a “clear and present danger.” Wow.

Martial arts legend Bruce Lee died way back in 1973 but before his unexpected passing he lived in this Hong Kong mansion. The enormous abode in Kowloon Tong was sold to a Chinese philanthropist named Yu Pang-lin in 1974. He effectively converted it into a love shack — a hotel with rooms bookable by the hour! Yu was eventually swayed by Lee fans wanting it to be a museum, but the plan was rejected. He died in 2015, leaving the hotel/house abandoned.

Anyway, numerous urban explorers entered the building after that, including Steve Ronin, ILLSIGHT and Exploring with Josh. ILLSIGHT’s tour began at the concrete wall and gate that led to the courtyard, overrun by weeds and grass. Lee’s former home had become grim inside too, more like a haunted house than a place fit for a global superstar. The building was totally demolished in 2019 to make way for a school, leaving many Lee fans furious.

Coco Chanel became an insanely rich woman through her eponymous fashion house. That money and subsequent high-society connections saw her acquire an extravagant manor house in Scotland, as well as engaging in an ardent romance with English aristocrat the second Duke of Westminster. Fast-forward a century and that once glamorous love nest in the Scottish Highlands is now a crumbling mess.

The property known as Rosehall Estate has been vacant for over half a century: since 1967 to be exact. Aside from the dry rot, there are still some of Chanel’s touches across the 22 rooms inside — from her trademark beige walls to ornate furnishings and wallpaper. The bathroom also contains what some historians believe is Scotland’s first bidet. The deserted home apparently inspired her famous tweed designs too, and plans are afoot to turn it into a boutique hotel.

Smokey & The Bandit star Burt Reynolds lived on this Palm Beach County ranch that spanned an impressive 153 acres. Besides the grand house, the Florida property included a horse track, studios and even a chapel where he wed Loni Anderson. Reynolds even had it all planned for his resting place, with a mausoleum on the land. But when he became broke in 1999 the Hollywood icon had to give it up.

So, the ranch would become uninhabited and overrun by weeds and tall grass. Urban explorers took photos of the 18-crypt mausoleum where Reynolds planned to be buried, with public access for mourners. It was decrepit and covered in graffiti before land developers took ownership of the property and began to clear it up. Reynolds ended up being buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles instead. What a shame.

This enormous abode in Wildwood, Missouri, was purchased by rapper Nelly back in 2002. The “Country Grammar” singer paid nearly $2m dollars for the mansion. But after starting but never completing renovations on the pad, he ended up abandoning it for years. As was evident from its market listing photos, the six-bedroom crib became somewhat decrepit.

Those listing photos showed the extent of its decline pretty clearly. The impressive, high-ceilinged rooms in the house were in need of a serious makeover; the ugly bathrooms needed ripping out completely. Whoever purchased it in 2021 had their work cut out getting it back up to scratch. Still, the views from the balconies are great, there was a basketball court and the columned foyer still had considerable grandeur. Maybe it was a bargain after all!

Rapper and business mogul P. Diddy — well, we think that’s what he calls himself these days — seemingly abandoned this secretive rural mansion back in 2007. According to Instagram urban explorer @bigexplorez, Diddy purchased the secret American address in 2003 and wanted to knock it down to make way for 11 homes, but was blocked from doing so. Then he seemingly just left it. Perhaps in a huff. Or should we say Puff?

What @bigexplorez found and filmed was pretty remarkable, though. The stunning mansion and its pool had been left completely unkempt and to the elements. The pool water was filthy, the grass and weeds high outside the home. The tiles on the floors inside were smashed to bits. Still, we think whoever it is who has reportedly bought the seven-bedroom and 13-bathroom mansion could — with a bit of work and money — return it to its previous glory.

As lead guitarist in the mega-selling, prog-rock titans Pink Floyd, David Gilmour has probably not been short of a few bob since the early 1970s. Indeed, Gilmour once owned this huge 11-bedroom mansion called Hook End Manor. Set in 25 acres in the English countryside, Gilmour bought it back in 1980 off Ten Years After singer Alvin Lee. Presumably the built-in recording studio was a major selling point, but Gilmour would eventually quit the home, and it became unoccupied from 2009 onwards.

Gilmour sold the sizable manor to record producer Trevor Horn in the 1990s. But Horn put the home back on the market after his wife was left brain-dead in an air-rifle tragedy involving their son. Then in 2017 some urban explorers got inside and documented their eerie findings. These included, a gravestone in the basement, a pool table seemingly abandoned mid-game and a dining room table spookily set with plates on it.

This sprawling mansion in south London was once owned by actor Ronnie Corbett and most recently singer Oritse Williams of U.K. pop act JLS. But it has been left abandoned and in a total mess after a fire mysteriously tore through in 2019. The huge house was reportedly worth $4.3 million before.

Since the fire in June 2019 numerous urban explorers have entered the property to take a look inside, including channels Exploring With Lucy and thebeardedexplorer. Their videos and photographs have shown how it has fallen apart, with a collapsed roof, charred interior and broken windows. As it has lain unoccupied, weeds have shot through the windows, and the swimming pool has filled with filthy water and algae. The kitchen, too, looks as though a bomb has hit it. File under “Needs a bit of work.”

Who was Peter Arrell Browne Widener? You might well ask. The answer is a long-deceased railroad supremo and all-round entrepreneur who was one of the richest individuals in U.S. history. Not surprisingly then, his $211 million neo-classical revival home was extravagant, to say the least. The Gilded Age-era mansion is known as Lynnewood Hall and was constructed between 1897 and 1900. There are 110 rooms in it — including 44 bedrooms and 20 bathrooms — but it has been abandoned for countless years now.

Yes, the sprawling mansion — that once needed about 100 staff to keep the house and gardens tip-top — is now sadly a bit of a mess. Take the once-spectacular art gallery, for instance. It once proudly displayed expensive paintings by Raphael and Donatello — no, not the turtles — but now its walls are decrepit. Urban explorer YouTube channel svvvk showed how the once-grand ballroom was now anything but, save for the gold-leaf moldings and ornately painted ceiling. Perhaps now the building is listed it will get restored to its former glory one day?

A famous rapper once lived in this huge abandoned mansion in New Orleans. But when Hurricane Katrina hit, said rapper, who goes by the name Birdman, flew from his large nest, and seemingly hasn’t been back since. The huge home was constructed in 1990 and covers almost 11,000 square feet. There are five bedrooms inside, along with four bathrooms, plus a recording studio on the third floor. The home actually featured in the rapper’s music video “Neck of the Woods.”

But as YouTube channel Jay’s Forbidden Explorations illustrated in a video recorded inside, the Cash Money Records CEO’s home is rather worse for wear. A significant part of that was property damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, which is probably why Birdman took flight. So, the mansion has been vacant for over 15 years, and the white marble floors are covered in debris, while other floors have been ripped up entirely. Also, the swimming pools and hot tubs are also filled with mold and murky water. Yuck!

Boris Becker shot his way to stardom in 1985 when he shocked the tennis world by winning Wimbledon at his first attempt. The flame-haired German was then just 17 years old, and all the prize money and sponsorships he earned subsequently in his career helped him acquire a luxurious villa in Majorca. A pad he unfortunately had to give up when he was declared bankrupt in 2017 — today it is anything but opulent.

Basically Becker had to hand the the 31,000-plus-square-feet property over to a bank when he couldn’t pay his loans back. He had purchased the home, which featured four ensuite bedrooms as well as both tennis and basketball courts, back in the 1990s. But when it became abandoned, the place became overrun by unkempt grass and, ahem, squatters. Yes, some hippies decided to move into the empty property, claiming it was abandoned anyway, before a court ruled they had to leave and pay a 480-euro fine each.

One of the world’s biggest pop stars and with her own successful beauty line, Rihanna practically has money coming out of her ears. Well, that’s what we like to imagine anyway. This $9.8 million mansion once belonged to her, with the “Rude Boy” singer apparently purchasing it in 2005 and selling it two years later. But the house has since been left to its own devices.

YouTube urban explorer channels Urbex And Chill and Dark Exploration Films teamed up to explore Rihanna’s deserted pad. Their videos, posted in November 2021, began outside with the derelict tennis court with decayed tennis balls and an overgrown yard. The entrance, with its magnificent spiral staircases, was all eerie and empty. The living-room floor was packed full of junk. Lucky, then, that Rihanna has numerous other properties to live in now.

You’ve all heard of Abercrombie & Fitch, right? Well, this is the former castle home of the guy who founded the fashion company popular with teens and young adults. David Thomas Abercrombie was his name, and presumably with ample help from his architect wife, he designed and built this spectacular home in Ossining, New York. Elda Castle was completed in 1929 but Abercrombie had less than two years in it, passing away in 1931.

Anyway, Abercrombie’s family sold the castle in the 1940s, and it lay unoccupied for some time before acquiring new owners. Eventually though, after a series of occupants who decided not to bother restoring it, the humongous hideout became abandoned. It still looks spectacular from the outside, with its curved stone walls, but has long been overrun by weeds and tall grasses. Inside? Well, let’s just say things have taken a turn for the worse, and it’ll need considerable money to restore it to its former glory.

Michael Jackson’s sprawling Neverland ranch is an infamous part of his story. The late King of Pop bought the California estate for a reputed $19.5 million in 1988 when it was known as the Sycamore Valley Ranch. Then the eccentric popstar renamed it after Peter Pan’s magical island, and set about turning it into an amusement park so he could experience childhood as an adult. The complex eventually included a Ferris wheel, a carousel, bumper cars and a zoo, as well as the six-bedroom Tudor house.

But the Neverland fairytale turned into something of a nightmare for Jackson, with allegations of child abuse on the ranch culminating in a police raid. The “Billie Jean” singer would fall into massive debt defending himself inside and outside of court, leading Neverland to be abandoned in 2006. Since Jacko’s death in 2009 it has been unoccupied and became somewhat eerie, as urban explorers who got inside discovered. All the child-centered rides and pictures feel more creepy than cute. Still, the entrance gate looks pretty grand.

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page coughed up the cash to buy Boleskine Mansion back in 1970. One of the main reasons he did so was that the house used to belong to Aleister Crowley. Page was an avid fan of the controversial occultist, and a collector of his works and artifacts. Crowley had moved into the four-bedroom house in 1899 and performed rituals there before leaving in 1913. Way before him there was allegedly a fire at a church in the grounds that left no survivors.

Given that he was constantly on tour worldwide or recording somewhere, Page left it to his pal Malcolm Dent to take care of Boleskine Mansion. Poor Dent began to report strange occurrences there: these allegedly included self-rolling rugs, moving chairs and doors that closed of their own accord. Eek! Anyway, the house lay unoccupied for a while after the people who moved in post-Page left. A fire in 2015 damaged it badly, before another four years later destroyed most of it. Still, as things stand the spooky address is destined to be rebuilt by The Boleskine Foundation.

Notorious narcotics trafficker Pablo Escobar had a slew of luxury homes in his native Colombia. One of them was the astonishing Hacienda Nápoles, or Naples Estate to us non-Spanish speakers. Escobar built the property — which lies some 250km north-west of Bogotá — on almost 7,500 acres of land, and with his ill-gotten fortune added an airstrip, lakes, a bullring, swimming pools and a zoo. With hippos. Lots of hippos.

Hacienda Nápoles was eventually seized by Colombian police, and after Escobar was finally slain in 1993 it was abandoned for some time. The property and land became unkempt but have since been turned into a popular theme park for tourists. Thanks to Escobar and his private zoo though, Colombia now has a real hippo problem, with the non-native beasts thriving and multiplying in the country’s rivers.

Boxer Mike Tyson was once known as “the baddest man on the planet,” both for his ferocious boxing skills and his various run-ins with the law. The Brooklyn-born brawler earned millions that he eventually squandered, and a significant sum went on this mansion in Southington in 1989. The estate was at one time home to a basketball court and a sizable swimming pool. Plus three Bengal tigers. Yikes!

Tyson’s financial woes saw him sell the mansion in northern Ohio to Paul Monea back in 2003. But the businessman never moved in; as it turned out, he was facing his own money and legal issues. Abandoned for around a decade, the grass on the property grew out of control, and the once-spectacular pool turned dank and horrible. Interestingly, it has now been taken over by the Living Word Sanctuary Church, which has remodeled it as a place of worship rather than excess.