King had a series of setbacks in the 1940s which hurt his career ; his wife committed suicide in 1942 , his landlord shot him with a . 45 - caliber pistol in 1946 .
King was jailed for heroin possession shortly after .
King had a series of setbacks in the 1940s which hurt his career ; his wife committed suicide in 1942 , his landlord shot him with a . 45 - caliber pistol in 1946 , and he was jailed for heroin possession shortly after .