Bernie Madoff and his wife Ruth decided to kill themselves rather than face reality after his multi-billion Ponzi scheme was made public, according to reports.
They attempted suicide together the Christmas Eve after Bernie was exposed.
The revelation comes in a new CBS News interview with Ruth Madoff, the only interview she has given about her shady husband’s infamous crimes.
“I don’t know whose idea it was, but we decided to kill ourselves because it was just so horrendous,” Ruth Madoff tells 60 Minutes. “We had terrible phone calls. Hate mail, just beyond anything and I said, 'I just can’t go on anymore.’”
The Madoffs attempted to overdose on pills: Ambien and possibly Klonopin.
“I took what we had, he took more. That added to the depression. We took pills and woke up the next day. It was very impulsive and I am glad we woke up.”
One of their sons followed through on it. The 60 Minutes piece also includes an interview with surviving son Andrew Madoff, but Mark Madoff hanged himself in his Manhattan apartment on December 11, 2010, while his 2-year-old son slept.
Stephanie Mack, Mark Madoff's widow, wrote a book herself - The End of Normal: A Wife's Anguish, A Widow's New Life. Mack said her late husband previously attempted suicide by swallowing 60 anti-anxiety and sleeping pills.
Bernie Madoff is serving a 150-year prison term in North Carolina.
Portions of the interview will aired Wednesday on the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley and will be seen in its entirety on 60 Minutes this Sunday.
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