A lot of child prodigies were doing things most adults would never be able to do, but sadly, their lives went in directions nobody could’ve planned.
A literary star disappeared
A lot of kids enjoy writing stories. But Barbara Newhall Follett wasn’t writing them simply for fun, as she published the novel The House Without Windows at age 12. It got her some real attention. She then followed it up with The Voyage of the Norman D. But then adulthood hit.
Her writing career slowed, and her publishing opportunities dried up. Follett was forced to take regular jobs, just to make ends meet. She also faced issues with her marriage. In December 1939, Follett walked out of her Massachusetts home with only $30 and a notebook. She was 25 years old, and she was never found again.
Canada’s young piano sensation
André Mathieu was already composing music by the time he was four years old. Yes, really. The Montreal pianist gave a recital of his own pieces while he was a small child, and then he went on to study in Paris. He also performed in New York and was often compared to Mozart.
It seemed like he was really going places. But the promise of those early years didn’t continue into adulthood, as concert opportunities became a lot harder for him to find. Mathieu struggled heavily with alcohol issues. He did keep composing and taught, too, but his career never matched his heights as a child. He died in Montreal in 1968, aged 39.
From chess records to exile
It seemed like there was nothing that Bobby Fischer couldn’t do when he was young. He played the famous ‘Game of the Century’ at age 13, and then, by 14, he was U.S. chess champion. He then became the youngest chess grandmaster at age 15. The amazing moments didn’t stop, however, as he beat Boris Spassky for the world title in 1972.
Things changed shortly after, though. Fischer stopped playing professional chess for almost 20 years and cut ties with most of his loved ones. He became incredibly isolated and went on to deliver antisemitic public rants. He died in Iceland after being detained in Japan.
Music led to a war zone
Philippa Schuyler was another musical genius. She played Mozart at four and composed music at five. She later performed with the New York Philharmonic, although as she got older, Schuyler went beyond the concert halls. She worked as a journalist and traveled far for assignments.
Her second career led her to be in South Vietnam on May 9, 1967. She joined a helicopter mission carrying Vietnamese children from Hue toward Da Nang. The helicopter went down in Da Nang Bay. Schuyler did survive the initial crash, but she drowned. She was 35.
A virtuoso gone at 35
Since Michael Rabin had such perfect pitch as a child, it only made sense that he picked up the violin incredibly quickly. He studied under Ivan Galamian and made his debut at Carnegie Hall at only 13. Surprise surprise, major concerts and recordings soon followed. He seemed destined for greatness.
But then came the stretches when he performed less and struggled to keep up his momentum. He was in the midst of trying to rebuild his concert career when tragedy struck. In January 1972, Rabin had a fall inside his New York apartment and died at just 35.
One hand suddenly stopped cooperating
Leon Fleisher was another person who managed to make it to Carnegie Hall. He debuted there at 16 and became one of America’s leading classical pianists. In fact, he became so popular that he began performing and recording internationally. It wasn’t meant to be, however.
He began suffering from something called focal dystonia when he was in his 30s, and it caused the fingers of his right hand to curl inward. It meant he couldn’t play music anymore, so he was forced to teach and conduct instead. Fleisher did eventually have treatment that restored some movement to his right hand. But by that time his prime was already over.
Tennis success came at 13
Jennifer Capriati was someone who didn’t ease gently into professional tennis. No, she reached a tour final at 13 years old and entered the WTA Top 10 while she was still so young. Capriati won the Olympic singles gold in Barcelona shortly after her 16th birthday because, well, she was just that good. Maybe it all happened a bit too fast, though.
She suffered injuries and was forced to take some time away from tennis. Then, when she was 18, Capriati was arrested on a misdemeanor marijuana-possession charge and went to rehab. Capriati did manage to turn things around, however. She later won three Grand Slam singles titles and the world No. 1 ranking, so it wasn’t a sad ending.
A champion before adulthood
Being a world boxing champion is a pretty impressive feat. Wilfred Benítez managed to do it as a teenager. He was born in New York and raised in a Puerto Rican boxing family, so it was no surprise that he turned professional very young. He actually defeated Antonio Cervantes at the age of 17. His win made him the youngest world champion in boxing history.
Benítez spent years fighting, although it took a toll on him. Doctors found signs of neurological damage, and his boxing licenses were revoked due to concerns about his health and head trauma. He was forced to retire and currently resides in a public nursing home.
An international career cut short
Julius Katchen caught conductor Eugene Ormandy’s attention at a very young age. It led to him performing Mozart with the Philadelphia Orchestra at age 11, as well as the New York Philharmonic later on. That wasn’t all, though. Katchen studied philosophy and English literature at Haverford College.
He also built a major international piano career for himself. He was still performing regularly in his early 40s when he was diagnosed with cancer. Katchen sadly died at the age of 42 while his career was still in progress.
Gospel beginnings gave way to legal trouble
Most kids were happy playing at age three, but Billy Preston was already playing piano by that time. He worked with gospel performers while young and also appeared with Nat King Cole before Preston was a teenager. Then came the Beatles, then came the Rolling Stones.
He had a pretty successful solo career of his own. It took a toll on him, however, and he suffered from serious drug problems for years. These led to legal issues. Preston was convicted and served prison time for possessing dr-gs. He was also indicted in an insurance-fraud case.
Brilliant studies ended in a murder case
Nathan Leopold appeared destined for an incredible future. He completed college at 18, for starters, and had a strong interest in ornithology. He had a gift for languages, just to top things off. But all that intelligence went somewhere dark and, in 1924, he and Richard Loeb kidnapped 14-year-old Bobby Franks in Chicago. They then murdered him.
Leopold’s goal was to carry out a carefully planned ‘perfect crime,’ although it fell apart fairly quickly. He confessed after investigators linked him to the case, and he was sentenced to life plus 99 years.
Built to become a quarterback
Todd Marinovich’s father was the former USC and Raiders player Marv Marinovich. So, it made sense that Todd himself dreamed of becoming an elite quarterback. It looked like he would be successful, at least for a while, as he became a celebrated high school prospect. He also played at USC and was picked by the Los Angeles Raiders in the first round of the 1991 NFL draft.
Everything seemed to be going well for him. That is, until the whole thing unraveled after just two seasons in the NFL. He faced drug problems and arrests, along with a few stints in rehabilitation.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
13 children who left a dark mark on history
Some of the darkest cases in human history involved culprits who were still young enough to be worrying about homework and curfews.
