Melissa Etheridge Net Worth – 2023

How much is Melissa Etheridge net worth?

American rock singer-songwriter and activist Melissa Etheridge has a net worth of $25 million. Melissa Etheridge is a singer-songwriter, musician, and famous LGBT activist whose 1988 self-titled first album marked her career breakthrough. Her most successful hits are “Bring Me Some Water,” “Ain’t It Heavy,” “I’m the Only One,” and “Come to My Window.” Throughout her career, Etheridge has received many Grammy Award nominations and an Academy Award for her song “I Need to Wake Up” from the 2006 documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.”

Childhood and Education

Melissa Etheridge was born in Leavenworth, Kansas, on May 29, 1961, to computer consultant Elizabeth and high school teacher John. At age eight, she began taking guitar lessons after demonstrating an early interest in music. Etheridge played in local country music ensembles as a teenager. She attended Leavenworth High School before attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she played the club circuit. Etheridge finally decided to quit Berklee after three semesters in order to pursue a career in music in Los Angeles.

Career Beginnings

Etheridge’s big break came in Pasadena, California, when she played at Vermie’s pub. She was introduced to Leopold’s husband, Bill, a music industry manager, after being seen by soccer star Karla Leopold. With this relationship and her performances in Los Angeles lesbian clubs, Island Records head Chris Blackwell quickly found Etheridge. Subsequently, she acquired a publishing contract to compose music for films, including the drama “Weeds.”

Pioneering Albums

1988 saw the release of Etheridge’s self-titled first album, which peaked at number 22 on the Billboard 200 and produced the Grammy-nominated hit “Bring Me Some Water.” In 1989, Etheridge released her second studio album, “Brave and Crazy,” which reached at number 22 on the Billboard 200 and was nominated for a Grammy. The tune “Ain’t It Heavy” from her 1992 album “Never Enough” earned Etheridge her first Grammy Award.

In 1993, eight months after she came out as a lesbian, Etheridge released her most popular album to date, “Yes I Am.” It lasted 138 weeks on the Billboard 200, peaked at number 15, and produced the hit songs “Come to My Window,” “If I Wanted to,” and “I’m the Only One.” For her debut single, Etheridge received her second Grammy Award.

Additional Albums

Following the success of “Yes I Am,” Etheridge released “Your Little Secret,” which peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 and became her highest-charting album to date. Additionally, the album produced the top 40 songs “I Want to Come Over” and “Nowhere to Go.” After a four-year break from recording, Etheridge returned in 1999 with “Breakdown,” which reached number 12 on the Billboard 200 and was nominated for four Grammys. Following “Skin” came the albums “Lucky,” “The Awakening,” and “Fearless Love.” Etheridge also published “Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled” and “A New Thought for Christmas.” Among her subsequent albums are “4th Street Feeling,” “This is M.E.,” “The Medicine Show,” and “One Way Out.”

“I Should Wake Up”

Etheridge penned the original song “I Need to Wake Up” for the 2006 climate change documentary “An Inconvenient Truth,” starring Al Gore. This song went on to win the Oscar for Best Original Song, earning Etheridge an Oscar.

Activism

Etheridge’s dedication to activism has been recognized throughout her career. She has been highly interested in LGBT issues, including promoting awareness of HIV/AIDS through her work with the L.A. Shanti group. Etheridge also recorded a song for the AIDS benefit album “Silencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin.” GLAAD presented her with the Stephen F. Kolzak Award for her LGBT activism.

Etheridge supports several issues outside of the LGBT community. She participated in the 2005 ReAct Now: Music & Relief telethon to aid Hurricane Katrina victims. Additionally, Etheridge fights for environmental consciousness.

Individual Affairs and Health

At the Triangle Ball commemoration of Bill Clinton’s first presidential inauguration in 1993, Etheridge came out as a lesbian. From 1990 through 2000, she was in a long-term relationship with actress Julie Cypher. Cypher gave birth to daughter Bailey and son Beckett via artificial insemination during their relationship. Beckett passed away at the age of 21 as a result of an opioid dependency. In 2002, Etheridge began dating actress Tammy Lynn Michaels; the couple married in 2003 and produced Johnnie and Miller via an unidentified sperm donor. The couple separated in 2012. Two years later, Etheridge wed actress and author Linda Wallem, who, coincidentally, has her identical date of birth.

Notably, Etheridge had a breast cancer diagnosis in 2004. She underwent surgery and chemotherapy, and in 2005 she returned to the Grammy Awards stage to sing “Piece of My Heart” by Janis Joplin. Etheridge appeared on “Dateline NBC” in October as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Real Estate

In 2008, Melissa spent $5 million for a property in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Hidden Hills, California. Today, the 7,000-square-foot property is likely valued between $7 million and $9 million.