Percy Tyrone Sledge was born on the 25th November 1940, in Leighton, Alabama USA, and was an R&B, soul and gospel singer, who was probably best recognized for releasing the single “When A Man Loves A Woman”, which was No. 1 on the R&B singles and Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1966. His musical career was active from the 1960s to 2015, when he passed away.
So, have you ever wondered how rich Percy Sledge was? It has been estimated by authoritative sources that the total size of Percy’s net worth was equal to $10 million, earned mostly thanks to his musical skills and his successful career as a gospel, R&B, and soul singer.
Percy Sledge Net Worth $10 Million
Percy Sledge grew up in the rural farming area of Leighton, where he spent his childhood working with his family on farm jobs, prior to becoming an assistant at Colbert County Hospital in Sheffield, Alabama. As a teenager, he began singing in local bands, and at 20 years old, he became a member of a band called the Esquires Combo, touring with them every weekend. Parallel with that he also performed with the choir at the local Gallillee Baptist Church. In no time, one of his hospital patients introduced him to record producer Quin Ivy, and Percy signed a recording contract in 1966.
Subsequently, his professional musical career began, as in the same year he recorded his debut song entitled “When A Man Loves A Woman”, which generated enormous popularity, and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, as well as the R&B singles chart. The song was rewarded with Gold-certified disc from the RIAA, signifying a million sold. It became the hallmark of Percy’s musical career, and ever since then his career went only upwards, as did his net worth.
During the 1970s, Percy continued successfully with such singles as “Warm And Tender Love”, “Take Time To Know Her” – reaching No. 11 at the US charts – and “Love Me Tender”, increasing further his net worth. In the next several years, he organized massive concerts throughout the US, Europe, and Africa, promoting himself in the process.
During his career, he released 10 studio albums, including “The Percy Sledge Way” (1967), “I’ll Be Your Everything” (1974), “Blue Night” (1994) – which was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category for Best Contemporary Blues Album – “Shining Through the Rain” (2004), which was also nominated for a Grammy Award, etc. Two years before his death, Percy released his last studio album entitled “The Gospel Of Percy Sledge”, which added a lot to the size of his net worth.
Thanks to his successful career, Percy received numerous prestigious awards, and recognitions, including the Rhythm and Blues Foundation’s Career Achievement Award in 1989, and he was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, as well as in The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame in 2007.
If to talk about his personal life, Percy Sledge was married twice. The name of his first wife is unknown in the media, while his second wife was Rosa Sledge (1980-2015), with whom he had 12 children. Percy passed away from liver cancer, at the age of 74, on the 14th April 2015 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
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