His second wife was Della Beatrice Howard Robinson. His first marriage was to Eileen Williams from 1951-1952. Despite personal tumult, Charles’ music remains his lasting legacy. He also hosted Saturday Night Live and appeared in The Blues Brothers. Ray Charles’ final public appearance was in 2004 at the dedication of his music studio as a historic landmark in Los Angeles. In 1983, he signed with Columbia Records and recorded country albums and duets with country artists like Willie Nelson. He left ABC in 1974 and recorded on his own label, Crossover Records. In 1964, Charles was arrested for heroin, but went to rehab and reappeared on the charts in 1966.īy the 1970s, Charles’ music saw little radio play due to the rise of psychedelic rock and harder forms of R&B. 1 on the Billboard R&B Chart.Īfter his contract expired with Atlantic, Charles signed with ABC-Paramount in 1959 and had worldwide success with “Georgia on My Mind” and “Hit the Road Jack”, earning four Grammy awards. In 1959, his iconic hit “What’d I Say” reached No.

He continued to gain popularity with hits like “I’ve Got a Woman”, “This Little Girl of Mine”, and “Fool for You”. In 1953, Ray Charles scored his first big hit single with “Mess Around” after signing with Atlantic Records. After he signed with Swing Time Records, Ray recorded two more hits: “Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand” in 1951 and “Kiss Me Baby” in 1952, which reached No. After he gained success with his first two singles, Charles hit the road for Los Angeles in 1950 and spent the next few years touring with Lowell Fulson as his musical director. He formed a band called the McSon Trio and they recorded “Confession Blues” in April 1949–it would go on to be his first national hit. In 1947, he moved to Tampa and got a job as a pianist for Charles Brantley’s Honey Dippers. He moved to Orlando at age 16 where he lived in poverty and often went days without eating.

Early CareerĬharles began playing piano for bands at the Ritz Theatre in LaVilla, earning $4 per night. When he was 14, his mother passed away, and Charles moved to Jacksonville, Florida to live with a family friend.

Despite his blindness, Charles’s mother Aretha found a school that would accept him, and he attended the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind from 1937-1945, where he developed his musical talents and learned to read braille music. However, tragedy struck when his younger brother died in a drowning accident, and Charles began to lose his sight due to glaucoma. He showed an interest in music from a young age and learned to play the piano from a local musician named Pitman. Ray Charles Robinson was born in Albany, Georgia in 1930. In 2015, a California court sided with the foundation, ending the legal battle. The foundation counter-sued, stating that the lawsuit breached agreements made in their trust funds. Ray’s children sued for the rights to their father’s song rights and master recordings, claiming they would be worth $25 million to $50 million.

The foundation had $60 million in assets at its peak and generates around $3 million a year in revenue with $41 million in assets today. The majority of his remaining assets were gifted to the Ray Charles Foundation, a charity that supports children with hearing and vision impairments. Each child was gifted $500,000 according to his will. Ray Charles was survived by 12 children from 10 different women. He had a net worth of $75 million at the time of his death.ĭespite coming from humble and impoverished beginnings, Ray Charles found huge success in the music industry. Ray Charles, the legendary singer, recording artist and philanthropist, was one of the most revered musicians of the 20th century.

Ray Charles’ Personal Life What was Ray Charles’ net worth?

Ray charles net worth