Peter Halsten Thorkelson is a musician and actor born on 13th of February 1942 in Washington, DC, USA, much better known by his stage name Peter Tork and as the keyboardist and bass guitarist of the 1960s pop group “The Monkees”.
Have you ever wondered how rich Peter Tork is? According to sources it has been estimated that Peter Tork’s overall net worth is $4 million. Tork acquired his wealth thanks to his musical talent and by being a member of “The Monkees” which added significantly to his net worth over the years. Since he is still active in the music industry, his net worth continues to grow.
Peter Tork Net Worth $4 Million
Tork was born in Washington D.C. I- n spite of many incorrect reports that his birth place was New York City – of Norwegian descent from his father’s side and on his mother’s side he has German, Jewish and British roots. When he was nine, he started studying the piano and showed his deep interest in music by learning to play several other instruments, including the banjo, and acoustic and bass guitars. After finishing Windham High School in Willimantic, Connecticut, he enrolled at Carleton College, however, soon after, he moved to New York and became a part of the early ‘60s folk music scene. In 1965, Tork decided to pursue his luck in California, where he auditioned for a new TV show about a band modeled after the Beatles. Together with Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith and Micky Dolenz, Tork got one of the roles for what later became the popular band “The Monkees”. This sitcom debuted in 1966 and followed the band’s development, with the music played on the show soon hitting first place on pop charts around the world with songs like “I’m a Believer” and “Last Train to Clarksville”. Thanks to a large number of fans, the group sold millions of records and even toured with Jimi Hendrix. In order to show they were more than just a “teenage” group, the members of the group wrote most of the songs and played many instruments between them for 1967’s “Headquarters”. This was a success and showed the critics their true talent and knowledge. They net worth of Tork increased considerably during this period.
Around 1968, when the band began to fall apart, Tork started to build his solo career. However, he didn’t achieve much success in this venture. Peter then formed a band called “Peter Tork And/Or Release” with his girlfriend Reine Stewart who played drums and two other members, but the band couldn’t secure record contract, and by 1970 Tork was a solo artist again.
In the early 1970s, Peter moved to Fairfax, California where he started singing in the 35-voice Fairfax Street choir and playing the guitar for a band called “Osceola”. A few years later, he returned to Southern California where he taught at Pacific Hills School in Santa Monica for three years, teaching various subjects including music, maths, social studies and history. In the summer of 1980, after meeting with Sire Records executive, Pat Horgan, Tork recorded six song demos and during this time, he appeared regularly on “The Uncle Floyd Show” in which he performed comedy bits. A year later, Peter released a 45 rpm single “I’m Not Your Steppin’ Stone” with “The New Monks”. He subsequently reunited with his former band members for “The Monkees” 20th anniversary, and since then, Tork has collaborated with Dolenz and Jones on various reunion shows and tours. Some of his latest work includes several solo albums, among others “Cambria Hotel”, released in 2007. He also performs with a group called “Shoe Suede Blues” which he formed in the ‘90s.
When it comes to his personal life, Peter Tork has been married four times and has three children: a daughter from his second marriage with Reine Stewart, a son with third wife Barbara Iannoli, and a daughter from a relationship with Tammy Sustek. He has been married to Pam since 2013. In March 2009, Peter announced he was struggling with a rare form of disease, adenoid cystic carcinoma, but by September the same year, after surgeries and radiation therapies, he successfully defeated the cancer.
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