Bewitched star was forced to clean toilets after horrific accident on set
A Hollywood legend who graced shows like Bewitched, The Twilight Zone, and The Flintstones passed away broke and was compelled to scrub bathrooms following a devastating on-set mishap.Dick York gained fame portraying Darrin Stephens across 170 episodes of Bewitched, while also featuring in movies such as the 1958 film Cowboy and programs including The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.His final acting role occurred in 1984.However, it was during 1959, while executing a stunt on set, that he was left struggling with relentless pain for his remaining years.Dick was operating a railroad handcar during filming when a background actor grabbed onto it - transferring his full body weight onto the device.During his time on Bewitched, he required the medication just to get through each day's filming.Dick even fainted on set while shooting a sitcom episode and was immediately transported to the hospital. Tragically, this marked the conclusion of his most memorable performance.Writer Herbie J. Pilato revealed to Fox News: "They had to replace him - they didn't have a choice. He felt horrible about it. He did not want to damage the opportunity for all those people [working on the show]."He didn't want them to lose their jobs. He didn't want the show to end, so he just gave in and left. However, he did tell me that if he had that summer of 1969... to fully recover, he [felt] that he would have been able to finish the show."Dick Sargent then took over the role of Darrin for the show's remaining three seasons, but by the time of his death in the 1990s, Dick York had become "financially and physically destitute."Pilato explained: "He just did not have the money anymore. His career had dried up. He was in very poor health. There were no more calls for acting. It was tough to watch."He forced himself to be positive, but he also knew he still had to make money. So, he would end up cleaning apartments to make money. He became a cleaning man. He went from being a star of one of the biggest TV shows in television history to cleaning toilets. It was humbling for him, and he never complained about it, but... it should not have happened."Dick passed away from emphysema and relied on an oxygen tank during his final years.He established a charity for the homeless while on his deathbed, passing away at 63 years old.
