After an emotionally devastating childhood, where he constantly endured both the bullying by his peers and a tumultuous relationship trying to please his father, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer achieved fame one foggy Christmas Eve when he turned what had been an embarrassing birth defect into an instrument to save Christmas. While initially boosting his long-battered self-esteem and making his story an inspiration to “different” people around the world, fame would prove to be too much for Rudy.
Long excluded from Reindeer Games in his youth, the new hero became obsessed, spending more and more of his time at the various Reindeer arenas and tracks. What started as a gambling problem soon devolved into alcohol abuse as Rudy tried to drown his depression over lost fortunes and, later, his wife Clarice leaving him for an insurance salesman named Steve. Rudy hit rock bottom in 1981 when U.S. Customs agents caught him trying to smuggle crack cocaine into the country, leading to an unfortunate parody of the song that made him famous titled “Rudy the Red-Eyed Drug Mule.”
Following his arrest, Rudy spent a dime in the federal penitentiary where he found Jesus and turned his life around. Upon his release, he formed a ministry devoted to helping those with gambling and substance abuse problems, using the fame of his youth to raise thousands of dollars for the cause. Alas, having access to funds and reminders of the games he loved led to a backslide into gambling. Having lost the ministry’s money, and with IRS agents closing in, Rudy ended his life as so many other troubled deer do by running in front of a semi. He was 47.
thefourthcastle.com 