Johnny Depp has gone from being the darling of Hollywood to be a 50-something mess of a man. His personal fortune, once estimated at around $4oo million, has dwindled down to $200 million. And some say that number is wishful thinking. There is talk of cash-flow shortages and fire sales to raise money by selling some of his assets.

How did it happen? Well, like most Hollywood boom to bust tales, it's a combination of things. Depp has been out of control, reportedly splurge spending at ridiculous levels. He's also made the mistake of hiring various family members to work for him. The other side of the coin is that those managing his interest didn't do a very good job of it. This was made all the worse due to Johnny Depp's tendency to take his eye off the ball and let things slide. Plus, his self-confessed love of booze and weed mean that he has become more and more unpredictable. It's all an unholy mess.

The result? While hardly broke, Depp is being forced to sell off assets. And this all comes at a time when his future in Hollywood is in doubt. Let's look at some of the factors that played a part in Johnny Depp's financial melt-down.

15 From $400 Million To $200 Million - Here's How

Well, a few years back, Johnny Depp was the golden boy of Hollywood, known for his quirky collaborations with Tim Burton and for his star turns as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. No more. He has been booted from the franchise and his net worth has gone from $400 million to $200 million. Like most meltdowns, it complicated beyond belief.

14 $30,000 A Month On Wine

$30,000 a month for wine seems a tad excessive. But that seems to be standard operating procedure for Depp, who, these days is seldom seen without a drink in hand. Some of the stuff gets stored in a climate-controlled wine cellar. But a heck of a lot of it gets drunk by Johnny and his hangers-on, of which there are many. And then there's the pot. But that's another story.

13 He Spends $3.6 Million A Year For Staff Of 40 And On-Call Doctor

As we will see, Johnny is not short of places to live. And each is fully-staffed. Plus there are the 24/7 security details for Johnny and his kids by Vanessa Paradis. His personal security staff is noted for being a bit aggressive, not just with the fans, but with Johnny himself. And then there is the personal, on-call doctor. It is all totally out of control.

12 $18 Million On A Yacht

Of course, if you are Johnny Depp, you need a yacht. So, he plunked down $18 million for a 156-foot beauty that also required hundreds of thousands of dollars a month in maintenance and staffing costs. When the money-troubles hit, he sold the yacht to none other than J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame.

11 Spent $5 Million For A Canon To Blast Dead Friend's Ashes

Hunter S. Thompson was a man's man, a totally wacky writer, and a journalist who was as off the wall as Johnny Depp himself. When Thompson died in 2005, his body was cremated. In order to give his friend a fitting send-off, Johnny paid around $5 million for a special cannon to blast his ashes over Aspen, Colorado. It was quite a sight to behold. Think fireworks and you've got the general idea.

10 Real Estate Junkie Who Has Blown $70 Million On Property

Let's start with the biggie: Johnny owns a 45-acre chateau and village in the south of France near Saint-Tropez. At one point he had 13 other residences. His 5 (yes 5!) houses in the Hollywood Hills are worth around $19 million. Us Weekly reported he wanted to "build underground tunnels" to connect them all. The man needs to be stopped.

9 Bought Private Islands - Cost Over $5 Million

Well, if you have a yacht, you need a private island to go to on it, don't you? So Depp paid over $5 million for an island in the Bahamas. True to form, he called it "F" word-off island. He didn't really spend much time there. He got too antsy and restless with all that peace and quiet. That doesn't mean that his mooching family and hangers-on didn't make themselves at home there.

8 $200,000 Per Month For A Private Jet

Don't expect to see Johnny Depp and his entourage buckled into seats on a commercial airline. No, only a private jet will do. The price? $200,000 per month. Remember when he and Amber got into hot water for smuggling their dogs into Australia? Reportedly, the pooches were flown by Stateside in the private plane.

7 Millions And Millions On Artwork, Guitars And Movie Memorabilia

The secret is out! Johnny Depp is a hoarder. He's spent millions and millions on guitars, artwork, and movie memorabilia. That doesn't even take into account the cost of stashing the stuff at storage facilities. If things don't pick up for Johnny, you could have a Storage Wars episode or two in the making.

6 His Tax Bill Is Killing Him

Number one, the guy doesn't file his taxes on time. Number two, he's a bit lax when it comes to paying. There's a lot of finger-pointing, with Depp blaming lawyers and accountants and the professionals saying that Johnny just dropped the ball and didn't do what he needed to do. The result? Around $6 million went to pay Internal Revenue Service penalties and interest. 

RELATED: 15 Crazy Details From Johnny Depp's Biggest Film Roles

5 Did His Managers Defraud Him?

Johnny Depp sued his managers, The Management Group (TMG), for $25 million claiming fraud and mismanagement of his money. It would have been a real dirty-laundry kind of trial to follow, but the parties reached a confidential settlement a month before the trial in 2018. The truth? The problems came about because of Depp's extravagant spending and TMG's shenanigans.

4 Mooching Family

Where to begin? His sister Christi ran his production company and "relieved" him of some $7 million. He bought his mom Betty Sue a horse farm in Kentucky and hired another sister and her family to run it. Guess what? The sister and her family were having a great time, spending money like it was going out of style. Depp claimed that his managers, TMG, didn't bother to tell him about the situation for years.

RELATED: 9 Celebs Johnny Depp Is Close To (6 He Can't Stand)

3 He Isn't As Bankable At The Box Office As He Once Was

Let's face it, Amber Heard and that messy divorce were Johnny's undoing in Hollywood. People were calling him abusive and saying he shouldn't be cast in movies ever again. Then came Depp's $50 million defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard, in which he accused her of abuse. Is the tide turning? Maybe. But, just look at him. He's such a mess now. It's all too sad.

2 Costly Settlements For Amber Heard And Vanessa Paradis

When Depp and Amber Heard divorced, he ended up paying her $7 million. And that doesn't include things like a $400,000 diamond cuff he bought her when they were actually speaking. His split from long-time partner Vanessa Paradis in 2012 didn't come cheap, with some estimating he had to cough up $127 million to pay to the mother of his two children.

RELATED: 15 Surprising Facts About Johnny Depp's Ex, Vanessa Paradis

1 Lawsuit After Lawsuit After Lawsuit

He's suing Amber Heard for $50 million. He sued The Management Group (TMG). He was sued by former bodyguards who claimed he didn't pay them. He's sued a lawyer or two. As part of the TMG suit, TMG let slip that Depp had paid a number of lawyers to work out various "hush money settlements". The mind boggles at what that might be about.

NEXT: 15 Photos That Paint Amber Heard In A Different Light