John Michael Stipe was born on 4 January 1960 in Decatur, Georgia USA into a military family. He is a singer, film producer and lyricist recognised as being one of the bigger names in modern alternative rock, particularly as the lead vocalist of the band REM from 1980-2011.
So just how rich is Michael Stipe? Authoritative sources estimate that Stipe’s net worth is over $75 million, as of mid-2016, accumulated during his career in the entertainment industry now spanning more than 35 years.
Michael Stipe Net Worth $75 Million
Michael Stipes was a regular army brat – his father served in the US Army, and his line of work demanded the family move around often. Despite spending his childhood in places around the world – including Germany and various parts of the US – Stipes matriculated from high school in Collinsville, Illinois, and went on to attend university in his native Georgia, where he focused largely on the visual arts. It was during his time at the University of Georgia that Michael Stipes first met his future band partner, “R.E.M.” lead guitarist Peter Buck. At the time working in a record shop often visited by Stipes, Buck soon came to notice the eccentric-looking art student – and they would quickly become friends. Soon joined by drummer Bill Berry and bass guitarist Mike Mills, they came together to form a band, named by Stipes after the first random word he saw in a dictionary – “R.E.M.”
By 1980, “R.E.M.” was already a local celebrity, debuting on the college radio and performing there several times afterwards. Even at this early stage, Michael Stipes drew attention with his unique, “mumbling” vocal style, which seems to have ended up giving the name to the group’s first studio album, “Murmur”. The album went on to huge success, praised by various critics as being better even than Michael Jackson’s album of the previous year, “Thriller”, and making it onto various “must have” and “top album” lists. It was a commercial success, as well, and the fact that “R.E.M.” would soon become one of the world’s best-selling groups has clearly done wonders for Michael Stipes’s net worth. “R.E.M.” would produce several more albums and went on a number of tours before finally parting ways in 2011.
Ultimately REM under the constant direction of Stipes, released 15 studio albums – alone accounting for almost 90 million sales – three live albums and 20 compilation albums, as well as the soundtrack to the film “Man on the Moon” in 1999. The band also released almost 50 music videos over their 30-year career, and Michael has also a couple of solo albums to his credit. Obviously all of these album sales have contributed substantially to his net worth.
Michael Stipe is often characterized by his unique vocal style and his eccentric, almost otherworldly lyrics. Stipe’s special touch went a long way in setting him apart from other contemporary performers, and in assuring that “R.E.M.” became a huge financial success in its own time – going on to top even Michael Jackson’s album “Thriller” in the “Rolling Stone” Critics’ Album of the Year poll with their debut album, “Murmur”. Though the band disbanded in 2011, this has done nothing to detract from Michael Stipes’s influence on the world of music, which is well reflected by his considerable net worth.
Stipes has also dabbled in film production, helping found the production company “C00 Films” and working with “Single Cell Pictures”.
Today, Michael Stipes remains an active performer and part of various charitable causes. Just two years ago, in 2012, Stipes appeared together with “Coldplay” lead vocalist Chris Martin in a concert devoted to raising funds to support the victims of Hurricane Sandy.
In his personal life, Michael Stipes is a self-acknowledged bi-sexual, who has apparently had relationships with Douglas Martin and Thomas Dozol.
