Born as Claude Russell Bridges on the 2nd April 1942, Leon Russell was a singer, pianist, songwriter and guitar player, whose career spanned more than 60 years, during which he released more than 30 albums, including the “Leon Russell and the Shelter People” (1971), “Carney” (1972), and “One for the Road” (1979). He created such hits as “A Song For You”, “Tight Rope”, and Heartbreak Hotel”. Leon Russell passed away in November 2016.
Have you ever wondered how rich Leon Russell was at the time of his death? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Russell’s net worth was as high as $600,000, an amount earned through his successful career in the music industry. Apart from working as a solo artist, Leon also worked as a session musician, and on account of that played for such musicians as the Rolling Stones, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra and many others.
Leon Russell Net Worth $600,000
At an early age Leon was introduced to the piano, and nurtured his talent from then until his death in 2016. He went to Will Rogers High School, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and there he met and befriended David Gates with whom he started a duo called Fencemen. Little by little Leon focused more on music and started playing in the nightclubs of Tulsa, with a fake ID, lent by a friend whose name was Leon, and he just assumed his name.
As he had outgrew the Tulsa nightclub scene, he moved to Los Angeles, where he would become one of the most sought-after session musicians of the ‘60s, and collaborated with countless popular musicians of the era.
However, he wanted to start out on his own, and in 1968 released an album with Marc Benno entitled “Look Inside the Asylum Choir”, while two years later he recorded his debut self-titled solo album, which reached No. 60 on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album spawned the eponymous hit “A Song for You”, which was subsequently covered by 100 artists, including Whitney Houston, Herbie Hancock, Ray Charles, Simply Red and Amy Winehouse among others.
After the debut he continued in the same way, with the album “Leon Russell and the Shelter People” (1971), which landed at No. 17 on the US Billboard 200 chart, and achieved gold status, which only increased Leon’s net worth. The following year he struck the world with his third album – “Carney” – which was in the top three on the US Billboard 200 chart and became his second gold album. Leon dominated the music scene throughout the ‘70s, and with albums such as “Stop All That Jazz” (1974), “Will O’ the Wisp” (1975), and “One for the Road” (1979) only cemented his place in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
However, after the ‘70s ended, his popularity began to decline, and although he stayed active in music during the ‘80s, ‘90s and 2000s, it wasn’t until 2010 that Leon had more success in music. That year, he released an album in collaboration with Elton John called “The Union”, which reached No. 3 on the US Billboard 200 chart, and achieved gold status in Canada and silver in the UK, increasing Leon’s net worth to a large degree. He produced music until his death, and was scheduled to start a tour in 2017, however, firstly heart surgery in mid- 2016 and then death on 13th November 2016 in his sleep, in Nashville, Tennessee, put the stop on his long and successful career.
In 2011 he was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, and also into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Regarding his personal life, Leon was married to Janet Lee Constantine from 1983 until his death; the couple had three children. Previously, he was married to Mary McCreary from 1975 until 1980, and they also had three children.
Leon was known for his charitable work, which included The Concert for Bangladesh in 1971, among many other activities.
