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What Was ‘Genius’ Musician Ray Charles’ Net Worth at the Time of His Death?

He was the pioneer of the soul music genre during the 1950s and was known for combining jazz, rhythm, and blues together.

BY SUNAYNA KANJILAL

PUBLISHED OCT 27, 2023

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Ray Charles | Rita Barros

Name	Ray Charles
Net Worth	$75 Million
Sources Of Income	Singing, music
Gender	Male
Date of Birth	Sep 23, 1930
Date of Death	Jun 10, 2004
Age	73
nationality	United States of America
Profession	Singer-songwriter, Musician, Jazz Pianist

Ray Charles' net worth

Ray Charles | Getty Images | Brian Rasic

Legendary singer, recording artist and philanthropist Ray Charles was one of the most revered musicians of his time. Tagged the "Genius" by his contemporaries, he was the pioneer of the soul music genre during the 1950s and was known for combining jazz, rhythm, and blues together. Charles was blinded in his childhood because of glaucoma. He later became one of the first Black musicians to ever gain artistic control at a mainstream record company. At the time of his death in the year 2004, his net worth was somewhere around $75 million, per Celebrity Net Worth.

Ray Charles' sources of income

He was a legendary singer and musician and most of his money is attributed to his decades-long work in the music industry.

Career

He began playing piano for bands at the Ritz Theatre which earned him $4 a night and soon made a name for himself as one of the talented musicians. He later formed a band called the McSon Trio and they recorded "Confession Blues" which went on to become his first-ever hit. He signed with Swing Time Records and recorded two more hits, "Kiss Me Baby" and "Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand."

His record "Mess Around" became a huge hit. In 1954, he recorded the song "I've Got a Woman" which became another notable hit. He not only became one of the most popular singers of his time but also started appearing as a host on "Saturday Night Live" and acted in the film "The Blues Brothers" (1980).

He once owned a house in Beverly Hills which sold for $10 million in 2019.

Ray Charles' personal life

Musician Ray Charles | Getty Images | Express Newspapers

Ray Charles Robinson was born on September 23, 1930, in Albany, Georgia, He was interested in music at a very young age. He began losing his sight at the age of five and lost his brother in an accident when he was only four. He lost his sight completely by the age of eight. His mother soon started looking for schools that would accept black blind pupils like Charles. He was soon enrolled at The Florida School for the Deaf and Blind where he learned to read braille music and play piano. He was only 14 when his mother passed away after which he left school and moved to Jacksonville to live with Charles Wayne Powell, a family friend.

Charles has been married twice, first to Eileen William with whom he tied the knot in 1951. The two separated in 1952. He later married Della Beatrice Howard Robinson and welcomed three sons with her. However, due to his heroin addiction and his infidelity issues, the two separated in 1977. Charles has 12 children with 10 women.

Charles died at the age of 73 in 2004 from liver failure. His funeral was attended by big names like BB King and Stevie Wonder.