Former Rat Pack member Sammy Davis Jr. died broke, in debt to the IRS, and left his estate in such a shambles that it still hasn't been straightened out.

And according to "Deconstructing Sammy" (due next month from Amistad/HarperCollins), by journalist Matt Birkbeck, Davis didn't have to die.

After a cancer diagnosis in August 1989, doctors recommended surgery on his throat that offered an 80 percent chance of survival. He opted instead for radiation, which had a slim 30 percent survival rate. Davis made his decision based on his dismal finances. If he couldn't sing, he reasoned, he couldn't make money. Despite more than $50 million in lifetime earnings, Davis died in 1990 some $15 million in debt, owing more than half to the IRS for investments in bogus tax shelters.

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