Whether due to jealousy or a curious nature, it’s perfectly normal to wonder how much money a celebrity has, especially as compared to everyday people. Sly Stone famously claims to be just such an everyday people. Do his financials serve to back up that statement?
All told, the legendary musician – who’s currently back in the spotlight thanks to his upcoming memoir, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) – is a lot closer to everyday people than you might imagine, fiscally speaking. According to the best estimates of the folks at Celebrity Net Worth, Stone has an approximate personal value of around $500,000 – which, and I hate to say it, might be generous.
That number might seem low, considering that the 80-year-old former front man of Sly and the Family Stone was behind some of the 20th century’s most ubiquitous songs, including “Dance to the Music,” “I Want to Take You Higher,” and “Stand!” It’s an unfortunate fact that Stone has had a laundry list of troubles since the height of his fame. Along with the substantial substance abuse issues that have been credited with splitting up the band over the course of the 1970s, he was famously involved in a contentious lawsuit with his business manager over an alleged stoppage of royalty payments beginning in 1989. This, in addition to a general lack of public interest in his solo albums and the misguided decision to sell the rights to his catalog of music to Michael Jackson for just $1 million in 1984, left Stone in dire financial straits, reportedly living out of a van by 2011. Victories continued to turn to defeat. After being awarded $5 million in 2015 for damages stemming from uncouth business practices, the decision was overturned.
Basically, here’s hoping that the memoir takes off. Thank You hits bookstores and the digital marketplace on October 17.