When you think of Mr. T, usually three things come to mind; his mohawk, his love of pitying fools, and his extensive collection of gold chains.
But in addition to looking fly, there’s also a deeper meaning behind Mr. T’s iconic chains - and a heartbreaking reason he doesn’t wear them anymore.
Mr. T was born Laurence Tureaud, and before finding fame as an actor he was discharged from the military and almost drafted for the NFL, but was held back by a knee injury.
As a result, he ended up taking a job as a doorman at a nightclub where he started to craft his Mr. T persona. He would even end up on a TV show called America’s Toughest Bouncer, which is where he first caught the attention of Sylvester Stallone, who later cast him as the villainous Clubber Lang in Rocky III.
According to his 1984 autobiography, Mr. T: The Man with the Gold, as his reputation grew, so did his collection of gold chains - which he obtained from customers who either lost them at the bar or left them behind after a fight.
Mr. T claimed he would return the chains to anyone who came forward to claim them, but given his huge physique and tough-guy persona, it seems unlikely many people were courageous enough to come forward.
At the height of his fame, he reportedly wore over $300,000 of gold around his neck, which took him over an hour to put on.
In his autobiography, T also said the chains were a symbol of the chains his African ancestors had been forced to wear when they were slaves.
“The reason why I wear gold - I wear gold for three reasons. One, when Jesus was born, three wise men came from the east: one brought frankincense, one brought myrrh, the other one brought gold.
“The second reason I wear gold is I can afford it. The third reason I wear it, it's symbolic of my African heritage.
“When my ancestors came from Africa, they were shackled by our neck, our wrists, and our ankles in steel chains. I've turned those steel chains into gold to symbolize the fact that I'm still a slave, only my price tag is higher,” he wrote.
But despite being a quintessential part of his look, The A-Team star later confessed that he retired his chains in 2005 as a mark of respect to those who had suffered during Hurricane Katrina.
Speaking to the New York Daily News, he said: "As a Christian, I said I would never wear my own gold again because of what happened with Hurricane Katrina.
“It would be a sin against God for me to wear my gold when so many people lost everything.
"Sure, it's my trademark, but I am the same person whether I'm wearing the gold or not. My moral values are the same. The gold don't make me, I make the gold."
.jpg_gqgERZ?tr=h-40&config=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)
.jpg_gqgERZ?tr=h-184&config=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)