Man's life was ruined by £24million lottery win - leading to his tragic death

03 February 2024 , 07:00

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Harris County, Texas, local Billie Bob Harrell Jr., who worked at Home Depot (Image: Supplied)

A man's life was ruined by a £24million lottery win - ultimately leading to his tragic death at his own hands.

Harris County, Texas, local Billie Bob Harrell Jr., who worked at Home Depot became one of the lucky few in June 1997, when he looked at the numbers on his Quick Pick lottery ticket and realised he held the only winning ticket to a Lotto Texas jackpot of a whopping $31 million (£24m).

Understandably, he and his family were shocked. Having previously been laid off from a variety of jobs, Harrell was struggling to provide for his wife Barbara Jean and his three children. So, Harrell's son, Billy III, later told the Dallas Observer, "He said, 'Bill, come over here and take a look at this and make sure I'm reading this right'. So I walked over there, and I was looking, and I was like, 'Uh, they match'."

Harrell was hopeful the lottery would change his life for the better, and he arrived in Austin to collect the first of 25 annual checks for $1.24 million.

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The father who won his fortune, lost more than he gained (Supplied)

Speaking at the official ceremony for his win, Harrell touched on the tough times he and his family had been facing. He said: "I wasn't going to give up. Everyone kept telling me it would get better. I didn't realise it would get this much better."

He quickly began to transform his and his family's day-to-day with the cash. Harrell purchased a ranch and treated other family members to new homes.

He was open about his lottery win (Getty Images)

But what started so positively, quickly began to become tainted. He purchased new cars and made large contributions to his church, but as family, friends, fellow worshippers and even strangers began to ask him for more and more cash, Harrell's spending spiraled out of control.

"I think a lot of people just came to expect him to do that," Harrell's oldest son, Ben, said of his father's devastating lending habit.

"People would make a fuss over him, and he really enjoyed that a lot. He enjoyed the attention. He'd rather have that attention more than buying himself something." Sadly, tension around the money led to issues in his marriage to his wife Barbara Jean, and the pair eventually split up.

He tragically took his own life (findagrave.com)

Harrell later confided to a financial advisor that winning the lottery was the "worst thing that ever happened" to him, and just two years after the life-changing win, Harrell sadly took his own life in his own home in 1999.

Three notes were found in the bedroom where his body was discovered, one of which was devastatingly addressed to his ex-wife, Barbara Jean. It read: "I didn't want this. I just wanted you."

For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

If in the United States, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to

Imy Brighty-Potts