Richard John Parfitt, OBE was born on 12 October 1948, in Woking, Surrey, England, and was a musician and singer, best known as the rhythm guitarist for the British rock band Status Quo during the band’s almost 50 years in existence. Rick passed away in December 2016.
So just how rich was Rick Parfitt? Authoritative sources estimate that Rick’s net worth was over $10 million, accumulated during a career in the music industry which began in the early 1960s.
Rick Parfitt Net Worth $10 million
Rick’s upbringing was average in a British working-class family in post-War England, but described by him as ‘wonderful’. There was no musical background in his early life, as his father sold insurance and his mother a shop worker. He was just 11 when he began playing the guitar, performing in London pubs from his mid-teens, and then at holiday camps, subsequently joining up with Gloria and Jean Harrison to form The Highlights, so his net worth had a foundation.
Shortly afterwards he met Francis Rossi, who was playing in a band called The Spectres with John Coghlan and Alan Lancaster, and which Rick joined as an extra singer and guitarist. The band name was changed to Traffic Jam, and then in 1967 to The Status Quo, soon dropping ‘the’. Their first hit was the Rossi-penned “Pictures of Matchstick Men” the same year, which certainly established them on the music scene and contributed to Rick’s net worth, being the first of over 60 hits for the band.
The rest of Rick Parfitt’s professional life is almost all the story of Status Quo too – he and Frank Rossi have remained members of the band throughout their existence, which has now possibly ended – except for his personal problems. The band was extremely popular during the late ’60s and the ’70s, and were never completely forgotten by the music-loving public, as they managed to release popular tracks throughout their existence, and were almost always on the go, performing live around the world. Their biggest hits included “Rockin’ All Over the World”(1977), “Down Down”(1974), “Wild Side of Life”(1976), “Whatever You Want”(1979), – re-released in 2008, “What You’re Proposing”(1980), and “In the Army Now”(1986).
Additionally, over 30 studio albums were released, 10 compilation albums and six live ones, amounting to almost 120 albums sold around the world to date. They were also involved in the Live Aid and Band Aid concerts in the mid-’80s. Parfitt and Rossi were the driving forces behind the band, contributing considerably to song-writing as well, and steadily increasing Rick’s and the other band member’s net worth. They were both honoured with the Order of the British Empire (OBE) awards in 2010 for services to music, and more honours came their way with cover versions of many Status Quo songs.
In his personal life, Rick Parfitt was married three times, with all his wives expressing difficulty dealing with his propensity for drugs and alcohol consumption. His first wife was German Marietta Boecker, then he was married to Patti Beedon (1988-95), who nevertheless tried to ‘sort him out’ for many more years, and thirdly to Lindsay Whitburn (2006-16) with whom he had twins when he was 60, but even they were rumoured to be separated in the year leading up to his death.
Rick Parfitt died in Marbella, Spain, on 24 December 2016, after suffering serious infection following a fall. He himself was very philosophical about his lifestyle, which saw him suffer several heart attacks and undergo heart bypass surgery. No doubt his influence on the world of pop music will continue long. after his demise.
