Michael Jackson Net Worth

Michael Joseph Jackson was one of the most famous hip-hop artists of the 20th century. He was nicknamed the King of Pop due to his huge impact on the music world. His career lasted for more than 4 decades, and his contribution to music, fashion, and dance made him a global icon. Michael Jackson was born on 29th August 1958. Michael Jackson died on 25th June 2009. He was an American songwriter, singer, and dancer, with a height of 5ft 9 (175.3 cm). He made electrifying performances and made quality music. Michael Jackson was making approximately $100million a year in the early 90s. He was among the musicians to get a Grammy lifetime achievement award. He inspired many musicians, such as Lady Gaga. He performed iconic shows in Los Angeles.

Michael Jackson’s Early Life

Michael Joseph Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, and began his musical career at the age of 5. His father, Joseph Jackson and mother Katherine Jackson were guitarists and Jehovah’s Witnesses, respectively. However, Michael’s father had to quit his ambitions to earn a living as a crane operator. Through his violence, he pushed his sons to succeed.

The American singer-songwriter was born in a family of 10 siblings, and some made names in the music industry. Among them are Jackie, Randy, Rebbie, Tito, La Toya, Marlon, Jermaine, and Janet. His three children, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, Paris Jackson, and Prince Michael Jackson ii stayed out of the limelight and went to stay with their grandmother when Michael Jackson died. Prince Jackson is the singer’s eldest child. Michael married Lisa Marie Presley in 1994, and they divorced in 1996. Later the same year, he married Debbie Rowe, whom they divorced in 1999. Michale Jackson and Debbie Rowe had two children, who stayed with Michael after the divorce. Michael Jackson later had a third baby with a surrogate mother. He also had outstanding love for Diana Ross and Elizabeth Taylor.

Michael Jackson’s Net Worth

At the time of his death in 2009, Michael Jackson’s net worth was $500 million in debt. Over the years, the pop singer accumulated his wealth from different sources, such as endorsements and his music career. He was a global icon and got numerous and well-paying endorsements from brands worldwide.

The Grammy legend award winner was a well-known generous person who donated approximately $500 million to charity during his lifetime. During the time of his death, Michael left 20% of his wealth to Charity. Michael Jackson’s net worth has highly changed following his death.

The American singer was also a businessman and sold various items such as music, video games, stuffed toys, and calendars. He would also receive money from the commercials that used his music in advertising. The Sony/ATV music catalog and record sales also earned him a lot of money in his estimated net worth. The catalog involved classic hits from EMI music and The Beatles song catalog.

In the late 80s, Jackson would make an income of $100 million, contributing to his net worth. However, Michael Jackson’s estate value was highly reduced following the child molestation allegations against the musician. In the final decade of his life, Michael Jackson’s estate was making approximately $10 million.

During the last years of their music career, Michael’s spending was high due to his lavish lifestyle, regardless of the income reduction, hence affecting his net worth. In turn, he borrowed a lot of money against his assets, negatively affecting his net worth. Among the common assets affected by the heavy borrowing were the Sony/ATV catalog, Neverland ranch, and Mijac music.

The celebrity net worth includes posthumous earnings, which the IRS estimate to be $2.4 billion. It is unclear the number of liabilities he has. The $500 million debt he left behind was settled using the money obtained for selling his shares in the Sony Music/ATV music catalog. This also makes it challenging to define Michael Jackson net worth from record sales.

Michael Jackson’s Assets

Over the years of his music career, Michael Jackson’s net worth accumulated various assets. The main asset owned by the singer was the Neverland ranch, which was approximately 3000 acres. He also woned Mijac house, which held his music compositions, and other companies developed to handle different business dealings. Michael Jackson’s estate included a share in the Hayvenhurst house, also partly owned by his mother.

Michael Jackson was also a well-known author who published two books. One of them, Dancing the Dream, was an anthology, while the other, Moonwalk, was an autobiography. Michael Jackson also owned art he had collected or bought from different parts of the world. Jackson also collected vintage cars such as Rolls-Royces and other valuable items, contributing to Michael Jackson’s net worth.

How Michael Jackson Made His Wealth

Michael Jackson is one of the artists who made the largest wealth after their death. He made more wealth after his death than many well-known musicians. Most of his income was made from his music. When the musician died in 2009, many people rushed to load Michael Jackson’s music, making a huge income. After his death, approximately 8.3 million albums were sold at the end of the year, increasing his net worth.

The singer-songwriter started making money from music at a young age. They formed a family band known as the Jackson Five, which made various hits such as “I’ll be there,” “I want you back,” and “ABC.” They attended various concerts and won several awards. However, Jackson’s income from music skyrocketed after he became a solo artist. 

Michael Jackson also made millions from record sales, endorsement deals, concerts, and merchandise sales. He also made various investments, such as merging Sony music with ATV music, and the deal got him $94 million.

Fun Facts about Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson has been on the cover of over 20 different magazines. He’s also appeared in many movies, including “The Wiz,” “The Jacksons: An American Dream,” “Moonwalker,” and “Captain EO.” He also appeared in a few TV shows and ads.

Michael Jackson was an avid fan of cars. He owned various Cadillacs and Porsches.

He also revealed that his father would brutalize him to make Michael work harder as a singer-songwriter.

In 1971, Jackson started his solo career, contributing a lot to the wealth he accumulated in the 80s and the early 90s. In 1982, a record producer made the Thriller album, which turned out to be the best record sale in his entire music career and highly increased his net worth. Michael’s brothers, the Jackson Five, contributed a lot to laying his music foundation.

The King of Pop was famous for his charity work and large record sales. He donated vast amounts of money to good causes and was one of the first people to create a charity single, “We Are the World,” which raised millions for starving Ethiopians. He also started Heal the World Foundation, which helps sick children in hospitals and hospices worldwide. These investments have contributed a lot to Michael Jackson net worth.

Michael Jackson FAQs