Net Worth Ranker
What Is Eazy-E’s Net Worth?
At the time of his death on March 26, 1995, Eazy-E’s net worth was estimated to be $8 million. This figure reflects his earnings from his career as a rapper, record executive, and entrepreneur in the hip-hop industry. While some reports have suggested that Eazy-E’s net worth may have reached as high as $35 million during the peak of N.W.A.’s success, his spending habits and business decisions reportedly impacted his financial standing later in life.
Eazy-E’s Early Life and Career Beginnings
Born Eric Wright on September 7, 1963, in Compton, California, Eazy-E began his journey in a modest environment. He grew up with his father, Richard, who worked as a postal worker, and his mother, Kathie, who was a grade school administrator. Despite dropping out of high school in the tenth grade, he later obtained his GED. Before venturing into the music industry, Eazy-E reportedly made around $250,000 from selling drugs, which he decided to leave behind to pursue a career in the burgeoning Los Angeles hip-hop scene after his cousin was killed. He started recording songs in his parents’ garage in the mid-1980s and founded Ruthless Records.
Eazy-E’s Career in N.W.A. and Ruthless Records
Eazy-E’s career took off in 1987 when he became a member of the influential hip-hop group N.W.A., alongside Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, DJ Yella, MC Ren, and Arabian Prince. N.W.A. was formed when Ruthless Records signees Dr. Dre and Ice Cube wrote “Boyz-n-the-Hood.” The group’s compilation album “N.W.A. and the Posse” was released on November 6, 1987, and earned Gold certification in the US. Eazy-E’s debut album, “Eazy-Duz-It,” released on September 16, 1988, featured 12 tracks and sold over 2.5 million copies, peaking at #41 on the “Billboard” charts. As a member of N.W.A., Eazy-E contributed to hit songs and played a role in writing and performing seven of the eighteen songs on the album “Niggaz4Life”.
Despite Ice Cube’s departure from N.W.A. in 1989 due to internal disputes, the group continued as a four-piece, releasing “100 Miles and Runnin'” in 1990. The group began to disintegrate in 1991 after Jerry Heller became the band’s manager. In March 1991, Eazy accepted an invitation to a lunch benefiting the Republican Senatorial Inner Circle, hosted by then-President George H. W. Bush. Heller appeared to look after Eazy-E’s interests ahead of the other band members, and Dr. Dre eventually asked Eazy to release him from the Ruthless Records contract. Eazy refused, and the impasse led to a heated feud between the two bandmates. The feud eventually led to Dre’s release from Ruthless Records, but Dre continued to attack Eazy in his track, “The Chronic,” with Eazy firing back with the EP “It’s On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa.” The 1993 album contained pictures of Dre wearing lacy outfits and makeup from his time in the Electro-hop band World Class Wreckin’ Cru.
Property Assets
In 1991, Eazy-E purchased a mansion in Calabasas, California, for $1.1 million. This property was left to his wife, Tomica, after his death. However, the house was lost to foreclosure just nine months later.
Eazy-E’s Posthumous Album
Ten months after his death, on January 30, 1996, Eazy-E’s final album, “Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton,” was released.
Personal Life and Death
In 1991, Eazy-E met Tomica Woods at a Los Angeles nightclub. They married in 1995, just twelve days before his death from AIDS-induced pneumonia on March 26th. On February 24, 1995, Eazy-E was admitted to Cedars Sinai Medical Center with a violent cough and what he believed to be asthma. Instead, he was diagnosed with AIDS. He announced his illness in a public statement on March 16th. Eazy’s sexual activity resulted in 11 children with eight different women. His known children are Eric Darnell Wright (also known as Lil Eazy-E,) Erin, Dominick, and Daijah, who was born six months after his death. Eazy died on March 26, 1995, one month after his diagnosis at the age of 30. During the weeks before his death, Eazy made amends with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. He is buried in Rose Hills Memorial Park Cemetery. Over 3,000 people attended his funeral, including Jerry Heller and DJ Yella. He was buried in a gold casket and was dressed in a flannel shirt, jeans, and his Compton hat. His daughter Erin launched a crowdfunding campaign in October 2016 to produce a film called “Ruthless Scandal: No More Lies” to investigate her father’s death. The campaign ended unsuccessfully in December 2016.
