The music industry is an amazing way for artists to express themselves while also gaining a global following. Few actually make it, but the ones that do unlock a lifestyle of fame and fortune while doing what they love most. Artists like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eminem, and Lady Gaga have all made it happen.
Metallica is one of the biggest and most important bands in history, and through the years, they have played in the world’s largest venues and have sold an unfathomable amount of records. Because of this, the members of the band are all doing well financially.
So, who’s the richest member of Metallica? It’s probably not who most would think.
Drummer Lars Ulrich Rocks $350 Million
The core members of Metallica that have been involved with the band since the 80s have all been raking in millions, and according to Celebrity Net Worth, drummer Lars Ulrich is the one sitting at the top of the band with the net worth of $350 million.
Lars, much like singer James Hetfield, is a founding member of the band and he has been involved in everything they have done since their inception in the 80s. Because of this, he has been featured on every successful album and on their biggest tours, racking up tons of cash throughout the years.
Not only has Lars been successful during his time in Metallica, but he has also been able to acquire an impressive amount of land throughout the years, which has undoubtedly helped increase his overall net worth. Celebrity Net Worth shows that he had listed the land in 2015 for around $39 million but currently owns it at this time.
The site also notes that in the documentary Some Kind of Monster, Lars was seen selling some of his paintings, eventually fetching $13.5 million. This is a staggering amount of money for someone to flip some art for, and this was a nice chunk of change that helped put Lars ahead of the rest of his band members.
While Lars Ulrich does find himself at the top spot, the man coming in second is not too far off.
Singer James Hetfield Has $300 Million
Much like his fellow Metallica founding member Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield has been with the band from the very beginning and he has been cashing in on all of their biggest projects throughout the years. According to Celebrity Net Worth, James Hetfield is currently worth $300 million, which is $50 million short of drummer Lars Ulrich.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, throughout the years, James Hetfield had acquired a considerable amount of property in Marin County near Skywalker Ranch. 330 acres of what he had purchased was eventually donated by the singer. The site also states that Hetfield owns property in Colorado and on the island of Maui. With 100s of millions of dollars, the singer and guitarist can certainly live wherever he ands his family want to.
Unlike drummer Lars Ulrich, James has not made millions of dollars off of selling art, which is certainly a cause for some of the gap in their net worth.
As for the other two members of Metallica, well, let’s just say that they are going just fine.
Guitarist Kirk Hammett Has $200 Million And Bassist Robert Trujillo Has $20 Million
Guitarist Kirk Hammett clocks in at the number three spot with $200 million to his name. While Kirk is not a founding member like Lars or James, he has still been part of the band since their very first album and is the man responsible for replacing Dave Mustaine.
During his years with Metallica, Kirk would be an integral piece of the band finding mainstream success, and while his net worth is considerably smaller than Lars and James’, he is still doing well for himself.
Bassist Robert Trujillo has only been in the band since 2003, replacing bassist Jason Newstead. By that point, Metallica had already released their biggest albums, and while they have done well for themselves in album sales and in touring since then, they have yet to achieve the same type of sales that they had with projects like the Black Album.
Despite not being around since the very beginning, Robert Trujillo has still put together a $20 million net worth since coming into the band. In the documentary Some Kind of Monster, Trujillo can be seen given a $1 million signing bonus to join the band, which changed his life immediately.
Lars Ulrich may be the richest member of Metallica, but the rest of the band has more money than they know what to do with.