He was once surrounded by the rich and famous. Now he can't afford to eat.
A former Beverly Hills Hotel pool manager is now struggling to get by after decades surrounded by the rich and famous.
Svend Petersen, the man once dubbed "The Poolside Prince," is now homeless after losing his money in bad real estate deals, and recently took to YouTube to make a sobering plea for help.
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For years, Petersen, 86, presided over the pool at the posh hotel, which served as the hangout for some of the most glamorous stars in show business, including Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly and Faye Dunaway.
On Sunday, Petersen announced to the world that he was homeless, and in desperate need of donations.
As of Thursday, he has been living in a motel and not long ago he was sleeping in his car. He said he often goes three to four days without food.
‘It's no fun to go from place to place, motel to motel,” he told Inside Edition.
It's a far cry from his glory days, when he was featured in magazines as “The Cabana King” and was profiled on TV shows as pool manager at one of the world’s swankiest hotels.
Petersen said he taught Faye Dunaway how to swim. Photographs show the two embracing.
But his favorite memory by far was meeting Marilyn Monroe not long after he was hired.
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“I said, ‘My God, am I going to experience all of this every day?'" he recalled.
But now Petersen is relying on the generosity of others, as friends have set up a GoFundMe account to help him get back on his feet.
Miss Congeniality star Sandra Bullock donated $5,000 and left the message: "Everything is going to be ok!"
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