Caleb Foster
Howard Hughes was an American business magnate, investor, film producer, and philanthropist. He was one of the richest and most influential people in the world during his lifetime. Hughes is known for his eccentric behaviour and reclusive lifestyle, which was caused in part by his worsening obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), chronic pain from plane crashes, and increasing deafness. He suffered from addiction to codeine and physical and mental illness, and his body was in poor physical condition at the time of his death in 1976. He is reported to have rarely cut his hair and trimmed his nails, which grew to a length of two inches.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for not trimming nails | Likely due to the pain caused by RSD/CRPS, caused by plane crashes |
| Other personal habits | Rarely bathing or brushing his teeth, burning his clothing if someone near him became ill, storing urine in jars, walking naked, hoarding boxes of Kleenex |
| Medical conditions | Chronic pain, worsening obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), deafness, malnutrition, kidney failure, addiction to codeine, Valium and morphine |
| Physical appearance | Long hair, straggly beard, long fingernails and toenails, emaciated, 6'4" tall, weighed 90 lbs at the time of death |
| Lifestyle | Reclusive, eccentric, germaphobe |
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What You'll Learn
Howard Hughes's OCD and germophobia
Howard Hughes was an American business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was one of the richest and most influential people in the world during his lifetime. However, he was also known for his eccentric behaviour and reclusive lifestyle, which was caused in part by his worsening obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and germophobia.
Hughes' OCD and germophobia manifested in several ways. He was reported to have stopped trimming his nails, letting them grow to a grotesque length. His toenails grew so long that they resembled yellow corkscrews. He also stopped cutting his hair, and his beard hung down to his waist. When he died, his body was emaciated and in poor physical condition, with his 6'4" frame having shrunk to around 90 pounds.
Hughes' fear of contamination led him to neglect his hygiene in his later years. He rarely bathed or brushed his teeth, and he often wore only a pair of white underpants, as he had an aversion to buttons, metal snaps, and zippers. He also burned his clothing if someone near him became ill. Hughes' diet was meagre, consisting mostly of chocolate bars, chicken, milk, and pecans. He also became addicted to codeine, which he injected intramuscularly, as well as Valium.
Hughes' mother, Allene Gano, was obsessed with disease and terrified that Hughes would contract polio. This may have contributed to his OCD and germophobia. As a child, Hughes was isolated and lacked friends. He also suffered numerous injuries from aircraft crashes, which caused him chronic pain and may have contributed to his fear of contamination and self-neglect.
In the last decade of his life, Hughes worked for days without sleep in rooms shielded by black curtains. He surrounded himself with dozens of boxes of Kleenex that he continuously stacked and rearranged. He gave detailed instructions to his aides, ordering them not to look at him or speak to them unless spoken to. He also had an obsession with urine, storing it in bottles and even urinating into containers while watching movies.
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His addiction to codeine and other drugs
Howard Hughes was a famous recluse known for his eccentric behaviour and worsening obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). He is reported to have had a drug addiction and stopped trimming his nails. His addiction to codeine and other drugs will be discussed in detail in the following paragraphs.
Hughes's addiction to codeine began after a near-fatal plane crash, which left him with chronic pain. He was initially prescribed morphine to manage the pain, but his physicians later switched him to codeine. Hughes never stopped taking the drug and became addicted to it. In addition to codeine, Hughes also took Valium, a drug often used to treat headaches and nervousness. Overdosage of Valium can cause drowsiness and mental lapses, which were observed in Hughes.
Hughes's addiction to codeine and other drugs had a significant impact on his physical and mental health. He became emaciated and was unable to walk in the last three years of his life. His weight fluctuated, and at the time of his death, his 6'4" frame had shrunk to around 90 pounds. Hughes's drug addiction, coupled with inadequate nutrition, eventually led to kidney failure, which was the cause of his death in 1976.
Hughes's strange behaviour and addiction to drugs made him practically unrecognisable. He rarely bathed or brushed his teeth, and his nails grew to a grotesque length. His hair, beard, fingernails, and toenails were long, and his physical appearance was described as "horrifying". Hughes's reclusiveness and drug use contributed to his isolation and declining health.
In addition to his addiction to codeine and Valium, Hughes also injected himself with unknown substances. He often injected himself in the groin with hypodermic syringes filled with a clear fluid. The contents of the syringes were unknown, but they had a noticeable impact on Hughes, causing him to become drowsy and incoherent. Hughes's drugs were kept in a metal box that he always had with him.
Hughes's addiction to codeine and other drugs was likely a contributing factor to his eccentric behaviour and reclusive lifestyle. His physical and mental health declined due to long-term drug abuse and inadequate nutrition. Hughes's story serves as a cautionary tale of the dangers of drug addiction and the impact it can have on an individual's life.
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The impact of plane crashes on his health
Howard Hughes was a prominent figure known for his successful career in aviation and film. However, his life was also marked by several plane crashes that had a significant impact on his health and overall well-being.
Hughes's involvement in aviation and his passion for flying came at a cost. He experienced numerous aircraft crashes, which caused him chronic pain and left him with severe injuries. These crashes had a profound effect on his physical health, and he spent a significant portion of his later life suffering and in pain. The exact details of his injuries are not publicly known, but they were significant enough to cause long-term pain and discomfort.
The near-fatal plane crashes left Hughes with third-degree burns and broken bones. As a result, he was treated with morphine during the initial healing process, which was later switched to codeine. Unfortunately, Hughes became addicted to codeine, and his addiction persisted for the rest of his life. He was also taking other drugs, such as Valium, which contributed to his overall health decline. The long-term drug abuse coupled with inadequate nutrition eventually led to kidney failure, which was the ultimate cause of his death in 1976.
The physical pain and injuries from the plane crashes also contributed to Hughes's mental health struggles. He became increasingly reclusive and eccentric, with his behaviour attributed to worsening obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Hughes's fear of contamination and elaborate cleaning rituals further isolated him, and he spent his final days in mental and physical decline. His addiction to codeine and his reclusiveness in the decades before his death are believed to be linked to his worsening mental health.
The impact of the plane crashes on Hughes's health extended beyond the physical injuries. The trauma and pain he experienced likely contributed to his mental health struggles and the development of his OCD symptoms. As a result of his worsening health, Hughes became increasingly reclusive, rarely leaving his living quarters and neglecting his personal hygiene. This decline in his physical and mental health, compounded by his addictions, ultimately led to his untimely death at the age of 70.
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Eccentric behaviour and reclusive lifestyle
Howard Hughes was known for his eccentric behaviour and reclusive lifestyle, which became more pronounced as his mental and physical health declined in his later years. Hughes suffered from chronic pain and increasing deafness following a near-fatal plane crash, which likely contributed to his worsening obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). He became addicted to codeine, which he injected, and also took Valium.
Hughes' eccentricities and reclusive nature were well documented. He was a germaphobe and had specific phobias and obsessions, such as an aversion to buttons, metal snaps, and zippers. He refused to cut his hair and nails, with his nails growing to a length of two inches. He also stored his urine in bottles. He was often naked and spent days without sleep in rooms shielded by black curtains. He ate a meagre diet of chocolate bars, chicken, milk, and pecans, and rarely brushed his teeth. He burned his clothing if someone near him became ill.
Hughes' reclusiveness was such that he rarely left his residence, moving from one hotel penthouse to another and refusing to vacate his room. He lived in hotels in Beverly Hills, Boston, Las Vegas, Nassau, Freeport, and Vancouver. In 1966, he moved into the Desert Inn in Las Vegas and bought the hotel to avoid having to leave. He also owned multiple other hotels in the city. When he did leave his residence, he travelled via private jet.
Hughes' aides acted as his keepers, screening all his communications and being paid salaries of up to $110,000 a year. He had an inner circle of executive assistants who kept a 24-hour watch over him. Despite his reclusive nature, Hughes dated many famous women, including actresses and socialites, many of them decades younger. He was also a well-known ladies' man and had multiple girlfriends at the same time as his wife.
Hughes' physical appearance towards the end of his life was described as horrifying and emaciated, with a straggly beard and waist-length hair. He died in 1976 of kidney failure, with his official cause of death stating that he died from "lack of a medical device that his own foundation had helped to develop".
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His death and autopsy
Howard Hughes died on April 5, 1976, at 1:27 a.m. while on board a private jet en route to a hospital in Houston, Texas. He was in extremely poor physical condition, suffering from malnutrition and covered in bedsores. His long-standing alias, John T. Conover, was used when his body arrived at the morgue. Hughes was barely recognisable, with long hair, a beard, and fingernails and toenails that had been left untrimmed. His 6-foot 4-inch frame weighed only 90 pounds, and the FBI had to use fingerprints to identify the body.
The subsequent autopsy listed kidney failure as the cause of death. However, it is believed that his worsening obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), chronic pain from a near-fatal plane crash, increasing deafness, and addiction to codeine also contributed to his overall poor health and reclusive lifestyle.
Hughes' mental and physical decline in his final years was significant. He rarely bathed or brushed his teeth, and his diet and codeine addiction left him emaciated. He worked for days without sleep in rooms shielded by black curtains and was obsessed with contamination and elaborate cleaning rituals. He burned his clothing if someone near him became ill and used tissues to pick up objects to insulate himself from germs.
After his death, a psychological autopsy was conducted by Raymond D. Fowler, a professor and chair of the University of Alabama's psychology department, to determine Hughes' mental and emotional state in his final years. Fowler interviewed former staff, evaluated newspaper reports and court documents, and reviewed letters, phone call transcripts, and pilot logs.
Hughes' death was shrouded in mystery, and his estate was the subject of much controversy. A handwritten will, known as the "Mormon Will," was discovered three weeks after his death, leaving $1.56 billion to charitable organizations and $156 million to a gas station owner, Melvin Dummar, who claimed to have given Hughes a ride to Las Vegas years earlier. However, in 1978, a Nevada court ruled the will a forgery, and Hughes was declared to have died intestate.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Howard Hughes stopped trimming his nails, and his hair, in the final years of his life.
Howard Hughes suffered from worsening obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and chronic pain from numerous plane crashes. This led to him neglecting his personal hygiene, rarely bathing, brushing his teeth, or cutting his hair and nails.
Yes, Howard Hughes became addicted to codeine, which he injected intramuscularly. He also took Valium and suffered from malnutrition, becoming emaciated and weighing only 90 pounds at the time of his death.
Yes, Howard Hughes became increasingly reclusive and eccentric. He lived in hotels, moving from one to another and always taking up residence in the top-floor penthouse. He was also a germaphobe and would burn his clothing if someone near him became ill.
Howard Hughes was known as the eccentric billionaire during his lifetime. He was one of the richest and most influential people in the world, extending his financial empire to include businesses in real estate, hotels, casinos, and media outlets in Las Vegas. He is credited with transforming Las Vegas into a more refined, cosmopolitan city.
