Andrew John Ridgeley was born on 26th January 1963, in Windlesham, Surrey, England, and is a retired musician, singer and songwriter, best known to the world as a part of the pop duo Wham!, alongside George Michael. They released three studio albums – “Fantastic” (1983), and “Make It Big” (1984) – before they broke up. Andrew`s career was active from 1982 until 1991.
Have you ever wondered how rich Andrew Ridgeley is, as of late 2016? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Andrew`s net worth is as high as $25 million, earned through his successful musical career. After Wham! broke up, Andrew released one solo album “Son of Albert” (1990), which also improved his wealth.
Andrew Ridgeley Net Worth $25 Million
Andrew, of mixed heritage since his father, Albert is of Italian and Egyptian ancestry, grew up in Bushey, Herfordshire, where he went to the Bushey Meads School. George Michael enrolled at the same school, and the two immediately hit it off. Before they formed Wham!, they played in numerous bands and groups, but without any major success. They recorded a demo, and send it to the Innervision Records, however, they left the label after the first album.
Soon after, Wham! Signed with CBS, and the rest is history; their first album came out in 1983, entitled “Fantastic”, it topped the UK charts, while it achieved triple platinum status in the UK and gold status in US, which not only increased Andrew`s net worth, but also encouraged the two to continue making music. The next year their second album came out, entitled “Make It Big”, and indeed it was big; the album topped charts in several countries, including UK, Australia, Canada, Japan, Norway, Switzerland and US. Furthermore, the album achieved four times platinum status in the UK, six times platinum in Canada and US, while in Germany it reached gold certification, which increased Andrew’s net worth significantly.
However, after a while, Michael and Andrew began to differ in music genres, and the break-up was inevitable. Nevertheless, they recorded one more album before the official break up; it came out in 1986 under the title “Music from the Edge of Heaven”, which achieved platinum status in Canada and the US, increasing further Andrew’s net worth. The two held their last concert at Wembley in front of 72,000 people, a further boost to Andrew’s net worth.
After the disbandment, Ridgeley lived in Monaco for a while, and wanted to become a professional racer, but had little success in Formula Three motor racing, After that he found home in Los Angeles, and tried himself as an actor, but that also didn`t work out. Instead, he returned to England, where he lives today.
He continues to earn money form royalties, thanks to the immense popularity of Wham!, since they have sold over 25 million albums. He also still writes songs for various performers, although his name is largely unknown these days.
Regarding his personal life, Andrew is married to Keren Woodward with whom he has one child. Keren is also a musician, a member of the band Bananarama.
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