Petrus Thomas Ratajczyk was born on 4 January 1962, in Brooklyn, New York City USA, of Russian Polish, Irish and Norwegian descent. Under his stage name Peter Steele, he was the lead singer, composer, and bassist for the gothic metal band Type O Negative; he also created the metal band Fallout and the thrash group Carnivore. All of his efforts have helped put his wealth to where it was prior to his passing in 2010.
How rich is Peter Steele? As of mid-2017, sources estimate a net worth that is at $1 million, mostly earned through a successful career in the music industry. As the frontman of Type O Negative, he displayed a vampiric style coupled with dark humor and rich bass-baritone vocals. All of these attributes ensured the position of his wealth.
Peter Steele Net Worth $1 million
Peter attended Edward R. Murrow High School and was already playing the guitar at a young age. He then moved to play the bass guitar, but his job was at the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, while working on several music projects. He eventually became a park supervisor but soon left the job to tour with Type O Negative.
His music career started in 1979, forming the heavy metal band Fallout. They continued to play together until 1982 when they split, and Steele then formed Carnivore focusing on politically incorrect lyrics about various taboo topics. They released their debut self-titled album in 1985, and he would then write songs for Agnostic Front. In 1987, Carnivore released their second album “Retaliation” before also splitting up, but Peter’s net worth was already well set.
In 1989, Peter formed Type O Negative alongside childhood friends – they originally used the name “Repulsion” but had to change the name due to legal issues with another band. They then used “Subzero” but since another band was using the name too, they later chose “Type O Negative”. The band signed with Roadrunner Records and would work on their debut album entitled “Slow, Deep and Hard”, merging elements of Carnivore along with doom metal. The band toured in Europe to support the album, however he drew a bit of criticism due to his sense of humor. In 1992, they then created the live album “The Origin of the Feces” which featured a close-up of Steele’s anus as a cover.
In 1993, Type O Negative released the album “Bloody Kisses” which became their breakthrough, as the album achieved platinum status, and so they became one of the most influential gothic metal bands. In 1996 they released “October Rust” which featured more melodic sounds, and which achieved gold status. In 1999, Steele worked on the heavier sounding “World Coming Down” which featured themes of addiction, actually dealing with a lot of personal problems during the recording of the album.
In 2000, he made a guest appearance in the song “Just Say No to Love” by Iommi”, and his next project with Type O Negative would be “Life is Killing Me”. In 2005, the band left Roadrunner Records dissatisfied with their recording contract, and signed with SPV Records in the same year. He also reactivated Carnivore the following year with a new lineup, so his final recording was in the 2007 Type O Negative album “Dead Again”. After his last performances, he concentrated on acting projects, and also posed for “Playgirl”.
For his personal life, there is no public record of any romantic associations. It is known that Peter was very kind to other bands he toured with, and was generous to his bandmates. He enjoyed lifting weights and read science books. He also enjoyed European culture, architecture, and civil engineering. He worked on cars and kept cats as pets. However in 2005, he disappeared for an extended period of time, later revealing that he was incarcerated at Rikers Island and at Kings County Hospital in the psych ward, due to substance abuse. In 2010, Peter passed away due to an aortic aneurysm. The band decided to dissolve after his death, stating that no one could replace Steele.
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