Wladziu Valentino Liberace, better known as just Liberace, was one of the most famous vocalists and pianists not only in his generation, but in general. The star is considered to be one of the most flamboyant and famous performers of the 20th century.
Liberace’s net worth was estimated to be $115 million at the time of his death.
He was born on the 16th May 1919 in West Allis, Wisconsin, USA. At the very young age of seven years, Liberace started attending the Wisconsin College of Music as he was considered to be a child prodigy, and Liberace’s career started when he was a teenager. He enrolled at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and later went on to perform on his own as he chose to play only the music that was popular at the time.
Liberace Net Worth $115 Million
The musician played with a candelabra on his piano to entertain the audience, that was stunned by his performances. He often performed under the name of Walter Busterkeys to make some money for a living while his career was only at its beginning. Although the show didn’t go national for a couple of years after it started airing in Los Angeles, the premiere of the show called The Liberace Show could easily be considered as his big breakthrough.
Later Liberace starred in a film called Sincerely Yours and performed in Las Vegas. Liberace became such a popular star that he even started performing alongside the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll Elvis Presley in 1956. At the height of his career the star was watched by nearly 35 million people. His television program was so popular that it broke almost every record on television when it came to the entertainment industry and performing arts.
Speaking about his personal life, Liberace had several legal dramas, as a magazine once printed an article stating that the star was a homosexual. Liberace tried to conceal his sexual preferences as much as he could at the time as the majority of his fans were young and single ladies who had fallen head over heels for the famous pianist. This type of admiration was very convenient for Liberace, as it helped to keep his fan base steady and to make his income even bigger. However, his chauffeur and bodyguard Scott Thorson, sued Liberace in 1982 for what turned out to be seeking support, as apparently they were once lovers and Liberace had made a promise to support Thorson.
Liberace died on the 4th February 1987, and initially there were rumors that he died because of complications that occurred due to him being infected with AIDS. It was only later that the autopsy showed that Liberace indeed died of pneumonia which was closely related to AIDS and is one of its side effects.
Liberace has definitely left his imprint of today’s entertainment, business and music industry, as he is cited as a major inspiration by such popular stars and musicians as Elton John, Lady Gaga and David Bowie.
