Mozart

Today is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. I'm no classical music expert but as composers go, I can't think of any other example whose finances were such a notable part of his life story!
Mozart's father apparently made quite a bit of money from his son's performances as a child prodigy. And later in life, of course, Mozart is well known to have lived beyond his means. For many of his works, he was paid little or no money, and he enjoyed a lavish lifestyle. If it's not quite true that he died penniless, he certainly did have a lot of problems with debt throughout his life.
Musical genius, yes. Personal finance genius, no. But of course we wouldn't be remembering him today if he'd spent his time with his checkbook instead of his piano...