$1.2 billion
Paul McCartney gained worldwide fame as the bass guitarist and singer of The Beatles, often considered the most popular and influential band in the history of popular music. His partnership with John Lennon is the most successful in history. After the band broke up in 1970, Paul pursued a solo career and formed the band Wings.
McCartney is often considered the most successful composer and performer of all time. Over 2,000 artists have covered his song “Yesterday”, making it the most covered song in music history. He has also been named a two-time inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of the Beatles in 1988, and as a solo artist in 1999), and an 18-time Grammy Award winner. McCartney has written, or co-written, 32 songs that have reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and as of 2009, he had 25.5 million RIAA-certified units in the United States. On another note, McCartney was knighted for services to music in the year 1997.
$192 Million
Born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, this rapper/lyricist is known my his moniker, Eminem. The rap artist broke the chains of poverty and now one of the richest rappers in the world. Like Snoop Dogg, who we mentioned before, Eminem's fate was sealed when he met Dr. Dre. In 1997, under Dr. Dre's mentorship, he began to slowly rise to fame, but he didn't have an easy path by any means. Ironically, he faced much scrutiny and discrimination for being a white rapper in a majorly black and brown industry, which he depicted in first motion picture 8 Mile. Throughout his career, Eminem has sold nearly 50 million albums in the United States alone, and 100 million albums worldwide. Having bagged 15 Grammy wins (43 Grammy nominations) and an Oscar award for Best Original Song for "Lose Yourself" from his "8 Mile", he among the most celebrated rappers in history.
Eminem might have dabbled with TV and film a bit, but the vast majority of his wealth comes from his legendary music catalog. According to Forbes, he's the best selling rapper of all time. So although Eminem doesn't have huge business ventures like his mentor Dr. Dre, he knows what he's strongest in, music. And he surly makes it work for him. Along with his track sales, performances, and arena tours, he also owns Shady Records, which a relatively successful record label. Needles to say, his bank account is solid.
$160 million
With a whopping net worth of $160 million, Miley Cyrus has created an empire for herself in the entertainment industry, as both a singer and actress and songwriter. It all began in 2003, when she starred as Young Ruthie in Tim Burton's 'Big Fish'. Things began to really turn around soon after that, when she won the part in the Disney series, 'Hannah Montana'. In 2006, the Hannah Montana soundtrack reached number one on the Billboard 200.
Three more soundtracks later, Miley was once again topping charts, and at 16, she was the youngest performer in history to have four albums at number one. And that was all just her career as a kid. As an adult she has become bigger than life itself. Her music has become more influenced by hip hop with the help of producers like Pharrell Williams and Mike WiLL Made-It. In 2020, 'She Is Miley Cyrus' hit the shelves.
$300 million
Mostly known as the drummer for the famous band, U2, Larry Mullen Jr. has amassed quite a fortune of $300 million. The Irish musician was one of the co-founders of U2, and was the one that brought that very particular, military-style drumming to the stage. Apparently, Mullen developed this unique skill while playing martial beats for a marching band called the Artane Boys Band, when he was a child.
Mullen has contributed many songs to U2's repertoire, including "Mysterious Ways", "Zoo Station", "Where the Streets Have No Name", "Sunday Bloody Sunday", and more. He's been involved in several solo projects, and even contributed to 1996's 'Mission:Impossible' soundtrack.
$550 million
Bing Crosby was an extremely popular and successful American singer, songwriter, actor and comedian. During the 30s, 40s, and early 50s, Crosby was one of the most sought-after entertainers in the industry, and he managed to amass a whopping $550 million during his career. Ranked as one of the top ten wealthiest Americans of the 30s, it's ironic that one of his popular songs was titled "I Haven't Had Time to Be a Millionaire".
The 1940s also brought Crosby big success, as he established himself as one of the decade's biggest movie stars. Some of his many popular songs include "White Christmas", "Swinging on a Star" and "Pennies from Heaven". Apparently, Crosby was also a very successful businessman in his later years, even starting his own company, "Bing Crosby Enterprises", that managed TV stations, tape technology and even horse track racing. Bing Crosby passed away from a heart attack in October of 1977, but his music and legacy will live on forever.