Most reports since the death of legendary rocker David Bowie have put his net worth at about $200 million which was built up from nothing when the singer went bust in the 90’s. But is that really the case? As late as 1997 estimates of his wealth reached $900 million but when he released his famous Bowie Bonds most assumed that he had lost everything and was forced to restart with the $55 million he took in from the sale. However, it appears to some that Bowie simply shifted his assets over to a series of offshore trusts and corporations and used the proceeds from bonds and a huge recording contract advance to buy himself out of a contract from earlier in his career and used the rest to build the empire that was known to exist at his death. Yet all is speculation about what happened to the $900 million he was estimated to be worth in ’97 which just goes to show how effective his efforts at privacy have been over years. Losing or hiding that much money in secret is an impressive feat when it comes to avoiding public scrutiny which just goes to show that he had good advisors when it comes to asset protection in regards to secrecy. In any event, the minimum $200 million he was worth is more than enough to keep his family in luxury for the rest of their days and the fact they might have another billion is just a very thick icing on the cake.
See Scott Martin, Why David Bowie’s Posthumous Estate Will Break the $2 Billion Cash Barrier Faster Than Michael Jackson’s, The Trust Advisor, January 18, 2016.
