Erick Morillo was a DJ and record producer who had a net worth of $25 million. Erick Morillo was best known for his international work in house music for the label Strictly Rhythm. Through his hip hop house project Reel 2 Real, he had his biggest commercial hit with the 1993 single "I Like to Move It," which launched him to international renown. Morillo used a variety of different pseudonyms during his career, including Smooth Touch, Ministers de la Funk, Club Ultimate, and RBM, and hosted popular club nights around the world.

Early Life and Education

Erick Morillo was born on March 26, 1971 in New York City. He spent much of his childhood in Cartagena, Colombia, where he became fond of salsa and merengue music. At the age of 11, Morillo moved back to the United States and lived with his mother Elisa and sister Sheila in Union City, New Jersey. Shortly after the move, he began deejaying at weddings for family and friends. Morillo was educated at Saint Joseph and Michael's School and Emerson High School.

Music Career

In New Jersey, Morillo deejayed at various local clubs. At a club one day, he met Latin reggae star El General, with whom he became good friends. The pair subsequently collaborated on the 1991 single "Muevelo," which combined reggae and house music styles while sampling T99's single "Anasthasia." It was a surprise hit, and was certified Platinum. Morillo's popularity in Latin clubs grew due to further remixes he made. He became even more well-known when he began collaborating with house music veteran Louie Vega. In 1993, under the name of his hip hop house project Reel 2 Real, Morillo scored commercial hits with the singles "The New Anthem" and "I Like to Move It," the latter of which became an international dance sensation, launching Morillo to stardom. He responded by recording the album "Move It!," which was released in 1994. Despite his success with Reel 2 Real, Morillo felt his project was hurting his street credibility. Consequently, he launched a new label and released the song "Jazz it Up." Morillo abandoned the Reel 2 Real brand in 1996 after the release of the album "Are You Ready for Some More?," and focused on his producing and global deejaying career.

In 1997, Morillo partnered with Christina Pazzanese and launched Subliminal Records and Subliminal Management. He sought to rebuild his image through the brand, which made its focus "ghetto music." The first single from the label was "Fun," which reached number one on the Billboard dance chart when it was recorded by Jocelyn Brown with the house collaboration known as Da Mob. Through Subliminal, Morillo helped bring attention to such artists as Carl Kennedy, Eddie Thoneick, and DJ DLG. He went on to boost his international profile by hosting buzzy club nights in cities around the world, including London, Madrid, Amsterdam, and Belfast. Among Morillo's most renowned events were his Subliminal Sessions parties in Ibiza, Spain at the club Pacha. In 2004, Morillo released his first album using his real name, "My World." It features a collaboration with Sean Combs, as well as various other artists.

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Honors and Awards

For his prodigious deejaying, Morillo earned several honors and awards. He won the DJ Award for Best House DJ three times (1998, 2001, 2003) and for Best International DJ three times (2002, 2005, 2006). Morillo earned nine other nominations over the years. His club nights in Ibiza also resulted in an honor from Muzik magazine for 2001's "Best Ibiza Party."

Sexual Assault Allegations

In the summer of 2020, Morillo was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a woman. The incident had allegedly occurred in late 2019, when the accuser claimed Morillo had raped her in his Miami Beach home after she got drunk and passed out in his bedroom. Although he denied the accusation, Morillo turned himself into police on the advice of his lawyer. Morillo was due for a court appearance in early September, but was found dead in his home three days before the date. Shortly after his death, multiple other women came forward with accounts of being sexually assaulted or raped by Morillo.

Death

On September 1, 2020, Morillo was found deceased in his home in Miami Beach. According to a preliminary report a little over a month later, the cause of death was accidental acute ketamine toxicity compounded by use of cocaine and MDMA. Morillo was 49 years of age.

Real Estate

For the last years of his life, Erick owned a home in the Hollywood Hills that cost $7.6 million. After his death, Erick's estate put the property on the market for $8 million. The home sold one month later for $8.9 million.

Erick also owned a home in Miami which he bought in February 2005 for $1.87 million. This home, which was also sold in March 2021, for $3.725 million.

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Tom Joyner is an American radio host and philanthropist who has a net worth of $80 million. Tom Joyner is best known as the host of the nationally syndicated radio program "The Tom Joyner Morning Show." He also founded Reach Media, BlackAmericaWeb, and the Tom Joyner Foundation, which supports historically black colleges and universities. Among his other endeavors, he has published books and advocated for voter registration.

Salary

Tom Joyner's peak salary for hosting his syndicated radio show was $9 million per year.

Early Life and Education

Tom Joyner was born on November 23, 1949 in Tuskegee, Alabama to Frances and Hercules. Both of his parents were graduates of historically black colleges, and for his own higher education, Joyner went to the HBCU Tuskegee Institute. His brother Albert also went to the school. Joyner graduated from Tuskegee with a degree in sociology.

Radio Broadcasting in the 1970s and 80s

Having been involved in radio broadcasting at the Tuskegee Institute, Joyner immediately began his professional radio career upon his graduation. He worked at various radio stations throughout the South and Midwest, including ones in Dallas and St. Louis, before moving to Chicago in early 1978. There, Joyner initially worked on the morning show at WVON, but soon left to work at the rival station WBMX-FM. By the end of 1978, he was hired by Charles Mootry to work at WJPC-AM, where he hosted the morning show. Also on the station, Joyner served as the inaugural host of the nationally syndicated newsmagazine series "Ebony/Jet Celebrity Showcase." In 1983, he went back to Dallas to host the morning show on KKDA-FM. Two years after that, he began hosting an afternoon show on WGCI-FM in Chicago. Instead of leaving his position in Dallas, Joyner commuted daily by plane between the two cities; he did this for eight years, earning him the nickname "Fly Jock."

The Tom Joyner Morning Show

In early 1994, Joyner began hosting his own nationally syndicated radio program, "The Tom Joyner Morning Show." Based in Dallas, the show aired live Monday through Friday for four hours, and was broadcast on urban contemporary stations across the country. On the show, Joyner was joined by a team of comedians and commentators who discussed the latest news. Featured personalities included J Anthony Brown, Sybil Wilkes, and Tyrell Zimmerman. Joyner also played popular R&B music, welcomed celebrity guests, and had on-site remote segments called Sky Shows. Southwest Airlines, a prominent sponsor of the program, often gave away free round-trip airfare to listeners. Upon signing a two-year contract extension with Westwood in 2017, Joyner announced that he would retire from "The Tom Joyner Morning Show" in late 2019.

The Tom Joyner Show

During his time as host of "The Tom Joyner Morning Show," Joyner hosted the nationally syndicated television program "The Tom Joyner Show" from 2005 to 2006. A one-hour variety program, it combined sketch comedy with talent contests and musical performances. Although the show was well received, high production costs ultimately prompted Joyner to end it.

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The Tom Joyner Foundation

As a philanthropist, Joyner conducts most of his work through his Tom Joyner Foundation, which is committed to supporting historically black colleges and universities through scholarships, endowments, and other contributions. The Foundation offers the Hercules Scholarship and the Full Ride Scholarship, and has veteran education and teacher quality programs. Additionally, the Tom Joyner Foundation hosts the annual Fantastic Voyage cruise to raise money for HBCUs.

Books

Joyner has written some books. With Mary Flowers Boyce, he co-wrote the 2005 book "I'm Just a DJ but… It Makes Sense to Me," which focuses on his childhood and early career in radio, among other topics. In early 2009, Joyner released "Tom Joyner Presents How to Prepare for College," a primer on higher education for parents and their children.

Personal Life and Honors

With his first wife, Dora Chatmon, Joyner had two sons named Thomas Jr. and Oscar. The couple divorced in 1996. Joyner went on to marry celebrity fitness and aerobics instructor Donna Richardson in 2000; they divorced in 2012.

Joyner has received multiple honors for his long career in radio broadcasting. In 1998, he became the first African-American to be inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. Joyner was later inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame and the R&B Music Hall of Fame. Among his other honors, he received a NAB Marconi Radio Award and a BET Humanitarian Award.

Miami Mansions

In November 2015, Tom paid $10.5 million for an oceanfront mansion in Golden Beach, Florida. He sold this home in July 2022 for $19 million. Here's a video tour of Tom Joyner's former Miami mansion:

As it turned out, Tom regretted selling the above mansion because he loved the location so much. He even went so far as to ask his lawyer to try to cancel the sale.

To remedy his seller's remorse, a few days after closing Tom paid $10.5 million for a home a few doors down. That $10.5 million price was $2 million more than the home had sold for a year prior. He then spent a reported $7.5 million renovating his new home. In the renovation he converted the basement into a boxing gym and car museum.

Art Collection

A renowned art collector, Tom Joyner's art collection includes pieces by Picasso, Ernie Barnes, Robert Pruitt and more.

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Ryan Lewis is an American producer, DJ, and musician who has a net worth of $22 million. Ryan Lewis was first introduced to a then unknown rap artist and musician who went by the name Macklemore, in late 2006. Lewis started collaborating with Macklemore as a photographer. In 2008, they decided to collaborate on some music, and subsequently released "VS. EP". The EP gained widespread attention, and led to the release of the first studio album, "The Heist". Ryan Lewis produces, records, engineers, and mixes all of their tracks himself, and also directs their music videos.

The Heist," featured the number-one hit singles "Thrift Shop" and "Can't Hold Us" and won four Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis went on to release their second studio album, "This Unruly Mess I've Made," in 2016.

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are especially famous for releasing all their music independently, without any help from a major record label.

Early Life and Education

Ryan Lewis was born on March 25, 1988 in Spokane, Washington to Julie and Scott. He has two older sisters named Teresa and Laura. Lewis got into music at an early age, playing guitar in various rock bands with his best friend Ryan Sanson. As a teenager, he went to Ferris High School in Spokane before transferring to Roosevelt High School in Seattle. Lewis went on to attend the University of Washington.

Career Beginnings 

Lewis began his professional career as a photographer and videographer. In 2008, he released his debut EP, "Instrumentals," featuring four alternative hip hop songs. Also that year, Lewis collaborated on an album with the artist Symmetry.

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Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

While working as a photographer, Lewis met rapper Macklemore in 2006. The pair became good friends, and in 2008 Lewis produced Macklemore's mixtape "The Unplanned." In 2009, they officially became the music duo known as Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. Subsequently, they released their debut EP, "The VS. EP." The pair went on to release their debut single, "My Oh My," in late 2010. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis had their commercial breakthrough two years later with their debut studio album, "The Heist," which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album launched a pair of number-one hit singles, "Thrift Shop" and "Can't Hold Us," as well as the single "Same Love," which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. "The Heist" went on to win four Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album.

In the summer of 2015, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis released "Downtown," the first single from their upcoming second studio album. It peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. Early the next year, the duo released five more singles: "White Privilege II," "Spoons," "Buckshot," "Kevin," and "Dance Off." Macklemore & Ryan Lewis finally released their album "This Unruly Mess I've Made," which debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. A few months after the album's release, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis announced they were going on hiatus for an undisclosed period of time.

Other Work

After Macklemore & Ryan Lewis went on hiatus, Lewis co-wrote and produced Kesha's song "Praying," the lead single from her third studio album, "Rainbow." A couple years later, he co-wrote and produced Hobo Johnson's song "Subaru Crosstrek XV." Beyond his songwriting and producing activities, Lewis has also directed many music videos, mostly for songs he recorded with Macklemore.

Personal Life

In the summer of 2017, Lewis married his high school sweetheart Jackie Ganger. The pair took a European honeymoon in Greece and Italy afterward. In 2019, they had a daughter named Ramona.

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Afrojack is a Dutch music producer, DJ, and remixer who has a net worth of $60 million. Afrojack has released the album "Forget the World" (2014) and the EPs "Lost & Found" (2009), "Lost & Found 2" (2011), "It's a Matter Of…" (2013), "NLW" (2015), "Press Play" (2018), and "NLW 2" (2022), and he is known for singles such as "Take Over Control" (featuring Eva Simons), "No Beef" (with Steve Aoki featuring Miss Palmer), "Can't Stop Me" (with Shermanology), "The Spark" (featuring Spree Wilson), "Ten Feet Tall" (featuring Wrabel), and "Dirty Sexy Money" (with David Guetta featuring Charli XCX and French Montana). Afrojack has been featured on songs by Pitbull, Jay Sean, and Sandaime J Soul Brothers, and he won a Grammy for his remixed version of Madonna's "Revolver." He has made the top 10 on "DJ Magazine's" annual list of the top 100 DJs numerous times, and he launched the record label Wall Recordings in 2007. Afrojack has been featured on "Forbes" magazine's "30 Under 30 – Music (2015) and "30 Under 30 – Europe – Hollywood & Entertainment" (2016) lists, and he is the CEO of the entertainment and management company LDH Europe.

Early Life

Afrojack was born Nick Leonardus van de Wall on September 9, 1987, in Spijkenisse, South Holland, Netherlands. He became interested in music at an early age, and he learned how to play the piano when he was just 5 years old. Afrojack was raised by his mother, Debbie, who owned a gym, and he spent a year at the Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam studying graphic design. At age 11, he began producing music at home for "five hours a day," and it took seven years to produce 2006's "In Your Face," which was his first release.

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Career

When Afrojack was 14 years old, he began DJing at local clubs and pubs and started designing websites for musicians. "In Your Face" reached #60 on the Dutch Single Top 100 after its 2006 release, and his next single, 2008's "Drop Down (Do My Dance)" (with The Partysquad) reached #12 on that chart. Afrojack's 2010 single "Take Over Control" (featuring Eva Simons) was certified Platinum in the U.S. and 2x Platinum in Australia, and it reached #1 on the "Billboard" Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, the Hungarian Dance Top 40 chart, and the Polish Dance Top 50 chart. In 2011, he was featured on the Pitbull single "Give Me Everything" alongside Ne-Yo and Nayer, and the song went Platinum or higher in 14 countries and reached #1 on the charts in 12 countries. That year Afrojack also released the single "No Beef" with Steve Aoki (featuring Miss Palmer), and it reached #5 in Belgium and was certified Gold in the Netherlands. He co-wrote Beyoncé's 2011 single "Run the World (Girls)," which went 5× Platinum in Australia and 4× Platinum in the U.S.

In 2013, "Forbes" ranked Afrojack #7 on its list of the world's highest-paid DJs. He released his debut album, "Forget the World," on May 16, 2014, and it reached #2 on the "Billboard" Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart and was certified Gold in the Netherlands. The album featured the singles "The Spark" (featuring Spree Wilson) and "Ten Feet Tall" (featuring Wrabel), which both went 2x Platinum in the Netherlands. In 2015, Afrojack, Nicki Minaj, and Bebe Rexha were featured on the David Guetta single "Hey Mama," which was certified Platinum or higher in 15 countries. He was then featured on the 8× Platinum (in the Netherlands) Fais single "Hey," followed by Sandaime J Soul Brothers' "Scarlet" (2019) and Vinai's "Up All Night" (2020), which both topped the "Billboard" Japan Hot 100 chart. Afrojack has also produced several songs by David Guetta, Pitbull, and Hiroomi Tosaka, and he has remixed tracks by artists such as Madonna, Lady Gaga, Kid Cudi, The Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am, Michael Jackson, Donna Summer, Miley Cyrus, and U2.

Personal Life

Afrojack dated socialite Paris Hilton while producing the follow-up to her 2006 debut album "Paris." In May 2012, it was reported that the couple had split up, with a source telling "RadarOnline," "Afrojack had moved into Paris' Beverly Hills mansion earlier this year, and the two got very serious. But Afrojack just wanted to have fun and not be exclusive with anyone. He is on the road practically every day performing in clubs all over the world, and he just isn't ready to settle down, whereas Paris is." Afrojack married singer Elettra Lamborghini on September 26, 2020, in Italy. Elettra is the granddaughter of Lamborghini founder Ferruccio Lamborghini. In 2017, Afrojack's ex-girlfriend Lauren Meditz filed a $25 million lawsuit against him, alleging that he had harassed her and that after their split, he had "failed to perform his part of the agreement by refusing to divorce his real and personal property assets for Meditz's benefit or render Meditz financially secure." Afrojack's lawyer called the lawsuit "absurd" and "nothing more than a shakedown of Nick van de Wall."

Awards and Nominations

Afrojack has been nominated for four Grammys, winning Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for "Revolver (David Guetta's One Love Club Remix)" by Madonna in 2011. His other Grammy nominations were for Best Remixed Recording for "Collide (Afrojack remix)" by Leona Lewis and Avicii (2012), Best Rap Song for "Look At Me Now" by Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes (2012), and Best Dance/Electronic Recording for "Hero" (2022). Afrojack has earned eight MTV Europe Music Award nominations, taking home the prize for Best Dutch Act in 2011. He was also nominated in that category in 2011 and 2013, and his other nominations were for Best European Act (2012), Best Electronic (2013, 2014, and 2016), and Best World Stage Performance for WS Live in Amsterdam 2013 and WS Live in Amsterdam 2015. Afrojack received an iHeartRadio Music Award nomination for Dance Song of the Year for "Hey Mama" in 2016, and he earned Teen Choice Award nominations for Choice Music Single: Male for "Give Me Everything" (2012) and Choice Music: Collaboration for "Hey Mama" (2015). He has also received three MTV Video Music Award nominations: Best Collaboration for "Pitbull: Give Me Everything" (2011), Best Electronic Video for "Afrojack: SummerThing!" (2016), and Best Dance Video for "Afrojack Feat. Ty Dolla $ign: Gone" (2017). In 2012, Afrojack won a European Border Breakers Award for his EP "Lost and Found."

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Big Boy is an American radio host, actor, producer, and author who has a net worth of $9 million. His annual salary is $3.5 million. Big Boy is best known for hosting the L.A.-based syndicated radio show "Big Boy in the Morning." The Radio Music Awards have named him Personality of the Year four times, and he has received the same honor from "Radio and Records" magazine eight times. The National Association of Broadcasters has awarded him the Marconi Award three times. In August 2007, Big Boy and ABC Radio Networks entered into a multi-year deal to syndicate "Big Boy in the Morning" and "Big Boy's Hip Hop Spot." The syndicated show launched later that month, and it is now known as "Big Boy's Neighborhood."

Big Boy has appeared in numerous films, such as "The Players Club" (1998), "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo" (1999), "Malibu's Most Wanted" (2003), "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" (2003), "The Longest Yard" (2005), "Project X" (2012), and "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" (2016), and from 2002 to 2003, he had a recurring role as Aquarius on the Fox series "Fastlane." He launched the production company Ida's Son Productions in 2010, and he produced the 2012 film "Exit Strategy." Big Boy is also the author of the 2011 book "An XL Life: Staying Big at Half the Size." He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2015, and he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2021.

Big Boy's iHeart Contract

In March 2015, Big Boy signed a three-year, $10.5 million contract with iHeartMedia. The contract gave him an annual $200,000 video production budget and four weeks of vacation plus the use of a private jet for domestic travel (including Hawaii). Furthermore, iHeart agreed to spend $1 million annually on marketing costs related to the show. When word leaked out about the deal, his former employer, Emmis Radio LLC, filed an injunction hoping to prevent the new contract from being signed. Emmis, which had been paying Big Boy $1.45 million per year, claimed it should have been allowed to match the offer, which they attempted to do. A judge ultimately ruled against Emmis.

Early Life

Big Boy was born Kurt Alexander on September 8, 1969, in Chicago, Illinois. When he was 2 years old, his family relocated to Los Angeles. The description of his book, "An XL Life: Staying Big at Half the Size," states that Big Boy grew up "homeless, fatherless and facing more than a few problems with gang violence." As a teenager, he began DJing at Culver City High School parties, and he later took a job as a bodyguard for the hip hop group The Pharcyde. Big Boy was friends with the Power 106 morning show hosts the Baka Boyz, and he was offered a position as a host at the radio station, finding success in afternoon and nighttime hosting spots.

Career

In the late '90s, Big Boy's image became fairly well-known in Los Angeles, and he gained national recognition in 1998 after he was hired to be the announcer of the syndicated talk show "Vibe," which was hosted by Sinbad. In the early 2000s, Power 106 promoted Big Boy by putting his 520-pound image (wearing only underwear) on billboards in L.A. In the late '90s, he appeared in the films "The Players Club" (1998) and "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo" (1999) and guest-starred in a 1999 episode of "The Jamie Foxx Show." Big Boy later guest-starred on "Entourage" (2004; 2006), "Real Husbands of Hollywood" (2013), and "Bel-Air" (2022) and lent his voice to the television series "The Proud Family" (2002–2003) and "Chozen" (2014), the film "The Proud Family Movie" (2005), and the video games "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" (2004), "Grand Theft Auto V" (2013), and "Grand Theft Auto Online" (2022). Big Boy has also appeared in the films "3 Strikes" (2000), "Malibu's Most Wanted" (2003), "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" (2003), "Project X" (2012), "Battlefield America" (2012), "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" (2016), and "Thriller" (2018), and he co-starred with Adam Sandler and Chris Rock in the 2005 sports comedy "The Longest Yard." From 2002 to 2003, he played Aquarius in 11 episodes of the Fox series "Fastlane."

Big Boy began hosting "Big Boy's Neighborhood" after signing a deal with ABC Radio Networks, and in 2015, he joined iHeartMedia. In 2018, it was announced that iHeartMedia was teaming up with Fuse Media to televise "Big Boy's Neighborhood." Michael Schwimmer, the president/CEO of Fuse Media stated, "Music is a passion point for our young, multicultural audience and who better to provide a daily dose of the biggest names in music entertainment and breaking pop culture news than radio icon Big Boy. We look forward to bringing 'Big Boy's Neighborhood' to FM and partnering with iHeartMedia on the type of cutting-edge entertainment his radio listeners have enjoyed for so many years." Big Boy was an executive producer on the televised version of the show from 2018 to 2020.

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Personal Life

In a 2012 interview with "Black Enterprise," Big Boy spoke about his experience with Duodenal Switch surgery, which caused him to lose more than 250 pounds and was nearly fatal. He told the publication, "I had to fight for my life a couple of times [after the surgery]. I was in the intensive care unit for 10 days. I had to be fed through a feeding tube, have multiple blood transfusions… It was awful. That's why I tell people that surgery [for weight loss] should always be your last option–if at all." According to his bio on the "Big Boy's Neighborhood" website, the radio host "is married with two beautiful children."

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Michelle Visage is an American singer, actress, radio DJ, television personality, producer, and author who has a net worth of $5 million. Michelle Visage was a member of the R&B dance vocal trio Seduction in the late '80s and early '90s, and she has served as a judge on "RuPaul's Drag Race" since 2011. With Seduction, Michelle released the album "Nothing Matters Without Love" (1989) and the singles "(You're My One and Only) True Love" and "Two to Make It Right," which were hits on the "Billboard" Dance charts. Visage also sang lead vocals on The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M.'s "It's Gonna Be a Lovely Day," which was featured on "The Bodyguard" soundtrack and reached #1 on the "Billboard" Hot Dance Club Play chart. She co-hosted VH1's "The RuPaul Show" from 1996 to 1998, and she has co-hosted the podcast "RuPaul: What's the Tee?" and several radio programs.

As an actress, Michelle has appeared in the films "Maybe It's Me" (2002) and "God Save the Queens" (2022), the TV movie "The Bitch Who Stole Christmas" (2021), and the web series "The Most Popular Girls in School" (2013–2015). In 2015, she competed on "Celebrity Big Brother 15" (finishing in fifth place) and published the book "The Diva Rules." From 2018 to 2019, Visage played Miss Hedge in a West End production of the musical "Everybody's Talking About Jamie," and in 2019, she competed on "Strictly Come Dancing," coming in seventh with dance partner Giovanni Pernice. Michelle has won three Primetime Emmys as a producer of "RuPaul's Drag Race," and she produced "Maybe It's Me" as well as the documentary "Explant" (2021) and the TV series "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars" (2016–2022), "RuPaul's Drag Race UK" (2019–2022), "RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race" (2020), "RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under" (2021–2022), "RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World" (2022), and "Whatcha Packin'" (2022).

Early Life

Michelle Visage was born Michelle Lynn Shupack on September 20, 1968, in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. She was born to a Jewish father and an Italian Catholic and Irish mother, and she was adopted by Jewish parents. Michelle attended Hebrew school and had a Bat Mitzvah, and she graduated from South Plainfield High School in 1986. Visage won a Madonna lookalike contest at the age of 16. She studied at Manhattan's American Musical and Dramatic Academy for two years, then she decided to stay in NYC to pursue an acting career. When Visage moved to New York, her mother, Arlene (who passed away when Michelle was 30), gave her a fake ID to help her get into nightclubs and network. Visage got involved in the drag ball scene and learned voguing from Willi Ninja and others. In 1988, she vogued with Cesar Valentino on the TV program "The Latin Connection," which is said to be the first time voguing was seen on national television. She chose the surname "Visage" because she earned the nickname "cara," which is Spanish for "face," and since people kept mispronouncing it, she changed it to the French word for "face." Michelle met RuPaul in the late '80s when they both attended events that were hosted by Susanne Bartsch. In 1989, Visage performed at a Design Industries Foundation For AIDS benefit called "The Love Ball." That event is reportedly where Madonna witnessed voguing for the first time and was inspired to write the hit song "Vogue," which topped the charts in more than a dozen countries and became 1990's best-selling single.

Career

Visage was a member of the vocal trio Seduction alongside April Harris and Idalis DeLeón, and the group released the album "Nothing Matters Without Love" in 1989. The album was certified Gold in the U.S. and reached #36 on the "Billboard" 200 chart. "Nothing Matters Without Love" featured the singles "Seduction, "(You're My One and Only) True Love," "Two to Make It Right," "Heartbeat," "Could This Be Love," and "Breakdown," and "Two to Make It Right" reached #1 on the "Billboard" Hot Dance Club Play, Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales, and Top 40/Dance charts and #2 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart. Michelle has performed on many of RuPaul's albums and has appeared in the music videos for "From Your Heart" and "New York City Beat." In 2021, she collaborated with Steps on the song "Heartbreak in This City."

Visage and RuPaul co-hosted the WKTU morning show in New York City from 1996 to 2002, then Michelle worked for Hot 92 Jamz in Los Angeles from 2002 to 2005 and WNEW-FM's "The Morning Mix" in NYC from 2005 to late 2006. From 2003 to 2006, she hosted "The Beat 66" on Sirius Satellite Radio, then she co-hosted the SUNNY 104.3 morning show in West Palm Beach, Florida, and hosted the "MIA Morning Show" on 93.9 MIA in Miami. In 2014, Visage began co-hosting co-hosting the podcast "RuPaul: What's the Tee?," and she hosted BBC Radio 2's "Michelle Visage's Fabulous Divas" in December 2019 and August 2020. In July 2022, she landed her own weekly show on BBC Radio 2.

From 1996 to 1998, Michelle co-hosted "The RuPaul Show" on VH1, and in 2011, she became a permanent judge on "RuPaul's Drag Race." Visage has also appeared on "RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars" (2012–present),"RuPaul's Drag Race UK" (2019–present), "Canada's Drag Race" (2020), "RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under" (2021), and "RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs the World" (2022). Visage hosted red carpet coverage of the Grammys for VH1 in 1998 and for the "Grease" 25^th anniversary re-release event in 2002. In 2017, Michelle and Ross Mathews were commentators for the Eurovision Song Contest's Live Grand Final for Logo TV, and Visage was a judge on "Ireland's Got Talent" from 2018 to 2019. In 2021, she narrated and appeared in the VH1 movie "The Bitch Who Stole Christmas" alongside RuPaul, Krysta Rodriguez, Anna Maria Horsford, and numerous "RuPaul's Drag Race" alums.

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Personal Life

Michelle married David Case in 1997, and they have two daughters, Lillie (born March 2000) and Lola (born February 2002). When Visage was 13, she began struggling with anorexia, and her eating disorder continued until she was an adult. She told the "Huffington Post UK" in 2015, "I was so tough on myself at 13, with what I did to myself, with the eating disorders, the anorexia, and just striving to be skinny and wanting to be loved. And the truth of the matter is, I was loved by everybody around me, more than I could handle… except for myself. I was the one who didn't love myself." Michelle has described herself as a "gluten-free, soy-free vegan who also tries to be sugar-free as much as possible." She has several tattoos, including a Corvette logo on her thigh and a diamond on her hip. She also had a top hat tattooed on her thigh in memory of her friend Eddie, who died in the tragic 2016 mass shooting at Orlando's Pulse nightclub.

On a 2019 episode of "What's the Tee?," Visage stated, "I've been with women; I've had sex with women… But I realized I never wanted to have a relationship [with them]." Michelle was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease when she was in her late twenties, and in 2019, she had her breast implants removed because of the autoimmune disorder. She told "People" magazine, "If you think about it, your immune system fights off invaders, and the biggest invaders in my body are two giant blobs of silicone. My autoimmune disease could be triggered by these invaders. So they needed to come out." The experience was documented in the film "Explant," which was an official selection at the 2021 Tribeca Festival.

Awards and Nominations

Visage has been nominated for five Primetime Emmys for "RuPaul's Drag Race," winning for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program in 2019 and Outstanding Competition Program in 2020 and 2021. The show was also nominated for Outstanding Competition Program in 2022, and that year Michelle received an Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series nomination for "RuPaul's Drag Race Whatcha Packin' With Michelle Visage." "RuPaul's Drag Race" earned her PGA Awards for Outstanding Producer of Game & Competition Television in 2020, 2021, and 2022, and she received Critics' Choice Real TV Award nominations for Female Star of the Year in 2015, 2020, and 2021.

In 2015, Visage won the Straight Ally Award at The Icon Awards, and she was nominated for the  Deutsche Bank – Celebrity Ally award at the 2020 British LGBT Awards. "RuPaul: What's the Tee?" won WOWIE Awards for Best Podcast in 2017 and 2019 and a Webby Award for Best Host (Podcast) in 2018. Michelle has also won WOWIE Awards for Best Twitter (2017) and Best Documentary for "Explant" (2022). In 2020, she received the Ally Award at the Attitude Awards and earned a British Academy Television Award nomination for Best Reality and Constructed Factual for "RuPaul's Drag Race UK," a Queerty Award nomination for Drag Royalty, and a National Television Award nomination for the Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award for "RuPaul's Drag Race UK." Visage received National Television Award nominations for Talent Show as a "RuPaul's Drag Race UK" producer in 2021 and 2022.

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Gareth Emery is an English trace-genre producer and DJ, who has a net worth of $16 million. Gareth Emery has released the studio albums "Northern Lights" (2010), "Drive" (2014), "100 Reasons to Live" (2016), "The Lasers" (2020), and "Analog" (2022). From 2006 to 2013, "DJ Mag" ranked Gareth in the top 50 on its "Top 100 DJs" list every year, and he peaked at #7 in 2010. Gareth has also consistently ranked as one of the richest DJs in the world. He has launched the record labels Five AM and Garuda, and he has hosted the "Gareth Emery Podcast" and the SiriusXM show "Electric For Life." Emery also established the Electric For Life Foundation, and he appeared in the 2016 YouTube mockumentary "DJ Mag: Corruption Exposed – A CVNT5 Documentary" and created, wrote, starred in, and executive produced the 2018 go90 series "We Are CVNT5."

Early Life

Gareth Emery was born Gareth Thomas Rhys Emery on July 18, 1980, in Southampton, Hampshire, England. Gareth's sister, Roxanne, is a singer-songwriter who goes by the stage name RØRY, and his mother, Linda Angela Teresa Emery, died of cancer. Emery moved to Manchester when he was 26, and he had a studio there and ran a record label and a nightclub that were both named Garuda. Gareth earned a Politics degree from the University of Warwick, and he is a classically trained pianist. In the mid-1990s, he was a guitarist in a punk band.

Career

In early 2002, Emery released a remix of The Shrink's "Nervous Breakdown" on vinyl, but his career didn't truly take off until his third release, "Mistral." After the song was debuted live on the radio by Paul van Dyk during the 2002 Nature One Festival, it got support from DJs such as Tiësto and Ferry Corsten. In 2006, Gareth was ranked #34 on "DJ Mag's" list of the "Top 100 DJs," and by 2009, he had climbed to #9. In 2013, he denounced the poll because of the marketing budgets that were involved, stating, "Don't vote for me. Seriously, when you buy a ticket to see me in a club, I consider that a vote. When you blast my music in your car, or share it on Facebook, or tell your friends about it, that's a vote too. Those votes, and the amazing support you've shown over the last year, is what matters to me."

Emery released the compilation mix album "The Five AM Sessions" in 2005, and he followed it with "The Podcast Annual" (2007), "The Sound Of Garuda" (2009), "The Sound Of Garuda: Chapter 2" (2011), and "Electric For Life" (2015). He released his debut studio album, "Northern Lights," in 2010, and it reached #1 on the iTunes dance chart in the U.S. The album's track "Sanctuary" was voted the year's second-best track by listeners of the "A State Of Trance" radio show. Gareth then released the studio albums "Drive" (2014), "100 Reasons to Live" (2016), "The Lasers" (2020), and "Analog" (2022) and the remix albums "Northern Lights Re-Lit" (2011), "Drive: Refueled" (2015), "1000 Reasons to Live" (2016), and "The Lasers: Unplugged" (2020). In 2006, he remixed the Vinny Troia and Jaidene Veda song "Flow," and it reached #24 on the "Billboard" Hot Dance Club Play chart. Emery's 2017 video for the song "Saving Light," which he recorded with Standerwick and Haliene, has received more than 4.7 views on YouTube. He created the song and video in collaboration with Ditch The Label, a charity whose mission is to "help young people overcome the issues that affect them the most," such as bullying. In 2019, Gareth collaborated with Ashley Wallbridge on the album "Kingdom United."

Christopher Polk/Getty Images

Personal Life

Gareth and his wife, Kat, have two daughters. When announcing that Kat was pregnant with their first child, Gareth wrote on social media, "Well today feels a good day to share the incredible news that I'm going to be a Dad!! Kat and I are expecting a little girl in early March 2015. From March I will also be taking the rest of the year off long haul touring and wanted to explain why. After 10 years of fairly relentless (and fantastic) traveling, next year I want to stay close to home to be a husband + father, rather than 5000 miles away hoping the hotel wi-fi is fast enough to FaceTime my family that day!"

Awards and Nominations

Emery has won the "A State of Trance" Tune of the Year award three times, for "Concrete Angel" in 2012, "U" in 2014, and "Saving Light" in 2017. The "Gareth Emery Podcast" earned three Best Podcast nominations at the Miami Winter Music Conference's International Dance Music Awards.

Real Estate

In June 2013 Gareth paid $2.77 million for a mansion in Los Angeles. He sold this place in December 2019 for $3.65 million.

Read more: Gareth Emery Net Worth

Charlie Sloth is an English musician, actor, and TV personality who has a net worth of $30 million. Charlie Sloth is best known for hosting the nighttime BBC radio programs "The Rap Show" and "The 8th." In his most famous radio segment, "Fire in the Booth," he invites various hip hop MCs to perform freestyle beats in his studio. Among his other ventures, Sloth curates playlists for Apple Music.

Au Vodka

In 2016 budding entrepreneurs Charlie Morgan and Jackson Quinn launched an alcohol brand called Au Vodka. They started with a production of 2,000 bottles that were distributed to bars and restaurants in their home town of Swansea, Wales. Within a few years they brought Charlie Sloth on as an investor and brand ambassador. Today the brand reportedly produces 35,000 bottles per day in a half dozen flavors, which can be bought in more than 40 countries and 32 American states. In 2022 the Times of London estimated that Charlie Morgan and Jackson were each worth $50 million thanks to their equity stakes in Au Vodka.

Early Life

Charlie Sloth was born as Ian Rouillon on August 20, 1981 in the London Borough of Camden, England to Ian Sr. and Sharon. As a youth, he went to Haverstock School.

BBC Radio 1

Sloth rose to national fame as a radio DJ on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. From 2012 to 2017, he hosted the daily drive-time show, and after that began hosting his new late-night program "The 8th." The show was notable for featuring explicit content not typically present on BBC Radio 1, including profanity and graphic conversations about sexual matters. Sloth's other major program was "The Rap Show," which broadcast on Saturday nights. The show included his most famous segment, "Fire in the Booth," which featured various hip hop MCs coming to record freestyle beats in his studio. Among the hundreds of artists to stop by were Akala, Lowkey, Tinie Tempah, Migos, Drake, and Bugzy Malone. Throughout the segment, Sloth would bang on the glass of the booth and reload tracks in the background.

Audio and Production Awards

Sloth announced his departure from BBC Radio 1 at the beginning of October in 2018, with his last show planned for early November. However, the station forced him to bow out early after he stormed the stage at the Audio and Production Awards, profanely ranting against his defeat by artist Edith Bowman. Booed off the stage, Sloth later apologized for the incident.

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Apple Music

After leaving BBC Radio 1, Sloth joined Apple Music and its radio station Beats 1. To the station, he brought over "The Rap Show" and his popular segment "Fire in the Booth." Sloth also curates playlists for Apple Music.

Mixtapes and Album

Sloth has released a number of mixtapes throughout his career, starting with "The Big Boot" in 2004. Subsequent titles include "Secret Society," "Hard Being Good," "The Black Book," and "Hood Heat Vol. 1 and 2." In 2017, Sloth released his debut studio album, "The Plug." Boasting 22 tracks, it features appearances by a range of artists, including Giggs, Ace Hood, Jadakiss, Sean Kingston, and Stormzy.

Other Ventures

In his other ventures, Sloth had a weekly online video series entitled "Being Charlie Sloth" that ran for 59 episodes on WorldStarHipHop.com. A few years after that, in the summer of 2020, he signed a partnership deal with Jay Z's Roc Nation brand. Sloth juggles a number of other projects, as well, including the premium vodka brand AU Vodka, of which he is a partial owner, and his own record label and publishing company, Grimey Limey.

Accolades

In 2007, Sloth won Most Original Video at Canada's CraveFest Awards for his music video "Guided Tour of Camden." The next year, he won Best Rap/Hip-Hop/R&B Unsigned Artist.

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Kaskade (also known as Ryan Raddon) is an American DJ and record producer who has a net worth of $60 million. Kaskade has been nominated for several Grammys, and he has released the albums "It's You, It's Me"(2003), "In the Moment" (2004), "The Calm" (2006), "Love Mysterious" (2006), "Strobelite Seduction" (2008), "Dynasty" (2010), "Fire & Ice" (2011), "Atmosphere" (2013), "Automatic" (2015), and "Kaskade Christmas" (2017). Kaskade is known for singles such as "Steppin' Out," "Everything," "Be Still," "Stars Align," "Lessons in Love" (featuring Neon Trees), and "Atmosphere," and his songs "I Remember" (with deadmau5) and "Go Slow" (with Gorgon City and Roméo) reached #1 on the "Billboard" Dance Club Songs chart. Kaskade was ranked #51 on "DJ Mag's" 2009 "Top 100 DJs" list, and readers of the "DJ Times" have voted him America's Best DJ twice.

Highest Paid Electronic DJs

In touring years, Kaskade consistently ranks as one of the highest paid and richest electronic DJs in the world. He ranked as one of the highest paid DJs for the first time in 2013 with $10 million in annual earnings. By 2016 he was the eighth highest-paid DJ in the world with $19 million earned in the year.

Early Life

Kaskade was born Ryan Gary Raddon on February 25, 1971, in Chicago, Illinois. He is the son of Lynda Toliver and Gerald Hollis Raddon, and his brother, Rich, is a film producer and entrepreneur. After graduating from Glenbrook North High School, Kaskade enrolled at Brigham Young University in Utah and honed his DJ skills in his dorm. When he was 19, Kaskade served a two-year mission in Japan with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and when he returned to the U.S. in 1992, he moved to Salt Lake City. There, he earned a communications degree from the University of Utah, and as a college student, he ran a record store, Mechanized, with his friend Jodi Call.

Career

In the mid-1990s, Kaskade started DJing a monthly party at Club Manhattan, and he moved to San Francisco in 2000 and began working as an A&R assistant at Om Records. After he mixed volume three of the "Sounds of Om" series, he signed a three-album deal with the label. Kaskade released his debut album, "It's You, It's Me," on March 18, 2003, and it featured the singles "What I Say," "Gonna Make It," "I Feel Like," and "It's You, It's Me." The album earned Kaskade a Dance Star nomination for Best New Artist," and he followed it with "In the Moment" in May 2004. The single "Steppin' Out" reached #5 on the "Billboard" Dance Club Songs chart, and in 2006, Kaskade released the albums "The Calm" and "Love Mysterious." "Love Mysterious" was his first album to make it onto the "Billboard" Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart, coming in at #18, and the singles "Be Still" and "Stars Align" reached #10 and #11 on the Dance Club Songs chart, respectively. The 2008 album "Strobelite Seduction" reached #7 on the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart, #12 on the Heatseekers Albums chart, and #36 on the Independent Albums chart. That year Kaskade collaborated with Deadmau5 on the single "I Remember," which hit #1 on the Dance Club Songs chart.

Kaskade had his first #1 album with 2010's "Dynasty," which topped the Heatseekers Albums chart, and it reached #4 on the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart. The album's title track reached #1 on the Hot Dance Airplay chart. Kaskade earned Grammy nominations for his next two albums, 2011's "Fire & Ice" and 2013's "Atmosphere," and both albums reached #1 on the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart and cracked the top 10 on the Digital Albums and Independent Albums charts. In 2015, he released the album "Automatic," which reached #2 on the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart, and he co-headlined Coachella with Drake, attracting the two biggest crowds the festival had ever experienced. In 2017, Kaskade released the holiday album "Kaskade Christmas," and it reached #8 on the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart. In 2019, he teamed up with Gorgon City and Roméo for the single "Go Slow," which reached #1 on the Dance Club Songs chart. In 2022, Kaskade and Deadmau5 collaborated on a project called Kx5, releasing the project's first single, "Escape," in March.

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Personal Life

Kaskade met his wife, Naomi, at the University of Utah, and they have three daughters, Sasha, Mia, and Isla. A 2015 "Daily Beast" article described Kaskade as "a straight edge Mormon who doesn't partake in any of the so-called extracurriculars offered to the nightlife gods," and the DJ told the publication, "I don't party at all. I don't drink, I don't smoke. I'm a bit of a freak that way because I'm completely different from what you would think. Look, you can't put all electronic musicians or DJs or whatever you want to call us in one pot. A lot of these guys live in the night and party, but with me, I'm married and have three children. I have a life outside of this."

Awards and Nominations

Kaskade has earned seven Grammy nominations: Best Dance/Electronica Album for "Fire & Ice" (2013) and "Atmosphere" (2014), Best Dance Recording for "Atmosphere" (2014), Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for "Smile (Kaskade Edit)" (2015), and Best Remixed Recording for "Runaway (U & I) (Kaskade Remix)" (2016), "Only (Kaskade x Lipless Remix)" (2017), and "Stargazing (Kaskade Remix)" (2019). He received an iHeartRadio Much Music Video Award nomination for Cinematography of the Year for "Kaskade Feat. Dragonette: Fire in Your New Shoes" in 2011, and he has earned Teen Choice Award nominations for Choice Music: EDM Artist (2012) and Choice Music: Electronic Dance Music (EDM) Artist (2013). Kaskade won the "DJ Times" America's Best DJ Award in 2011 and 2013, and he was the runner-up in 2015 and 2016.

Real Estate

In 2013, Kaskade and Naomi paid $4.25 million for a home in Los Angeles.

Read more: Kaskade Net Worth

Eric Prydz is a Swedish DJ and producer who has a net worth of $10 million. Eric Prydz rose to fame in 2004 with his hit single "Call on Me." He continued to achieve success with such singles as "Proper Education," "Pjanoo," and "Opus," the latter of which was featured on his debut studio album of the same name. Prydz has won many accolades over the course of his career, including DJ of the Year at the Electronic Music Awards in 2017.

Career Breakthrough

In 2004, Prydz had his commercial breakthrough with his single "Call on Me," which is based on a sample of Steve Winwood's 1982 song "Valerie." The track charted in countries around the world, making it to number one on the singles charts in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, among other places. "Call on Me" also spawned an infamous music video featuring several women and a man doing sexually suggestive aerobics.

Proper Education and Pjanoo

After "Call on Me," Prydz had his next hit single with "Proper Education," a remix of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II." Released in Sweden in late 2006, it came out in the United Kingdom in early 2007, and reached number two on that country's singles chart. "Proper Education" went on to earn a Grammy Award nomination for Best Remixed Recording. Prydz had another hit with his 2008 single "Pjanoo," which was similarly successful in the UK, reaching number two on the singles chart and topping the dance chart for ten weeks.

Further Releases

In 2009, Prydz released the single "Miami to Atlanta." Notably, it marked the first use of his signature Pryda snare, a technique that has since become common in trance and house music to delineate progressions in a song structure. Prydz went on to release a three-disc compilation album entitled "Eric Prydz Presents Pryda" in 2012. Following that, he rolled out the project "PR(10)DA," a series of EPs featuring previously unreleased tracks. This culminated in Prydz's debut studio album, "Opus," in early 2016. A solid commercial hit, the album included the singles "Every Day," "Liberate," "Generate," "Last Dragon," and the title track. Prydz put out a number of EPs in the years after "Opus," including "PR(15)DA" in 2019.

Prydz has also released music under the name Cirez D. In late 2015, he released the EP "Vol D." He has released tracks using a range of other aliases as well, including AxEr, Fiol Lasse, Hardform, and Tonja Holma.

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EPIC

On stage, Prydz is known for his big, extravagant concerts using cutting-edge technology. In 2014, he debuted EPIC 3.0, a concert at Madison Square Garden featuring what was called the world's largest indoor hologram at 20 meters tall. Prydz took things to an even grander level in 2019 for EPIC 6.0, which included a multistory transparent LED holosphere composed of 72 interlocking panels containing more than 2.4 million LEDs.

Personal Life

Eric and his wife Sofie were married for a little under 5 years. Upon divorcing, Eric agreed to pay her roughly $1 million. She kept their former LA home, all household furniture, artwork and jewelry.

Real Estate

In 2013, Eric paid $5.3 million for a home in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles. The 6,000 square foot home sits just below the Hollywood Sign. As his marriage was dissolving, Eric listed this home for sale in September 2020 for $7.5 million. He lowered the price a year later to $5.9 million. He accepted $5.6 million in November 2021. Here's a video tour:

Read more: Eric Prydz Net Worth