Net Worth Ranker
What Is Pat Benatar’s Net Worth?
Pat Benatar, the acclaimed American rock singer, boasts a net worth of $40 million, a figure she shares with her husband of over 30 years, Neil Giraldo. This substantial net worth reflects her successful career, marked by numerous hit singles and albums. Benatar’s musical journey has solidified her status as one of the leading female rock vocalists worldwide.
Pat Benatar’s Career Highlights and Income Streams
Benatar’s career is characterized by a string of Top 40 hits, with several achieving Top 10 status. Among these are “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” “Love Is a Battlefield,” “We Belong,” and “Invincible.” These songs not only dominated the airwaves but also contributed significantly to her income through record sales, royalties, and licensing agreements. “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” sold over one million copies in the U.S. alone.
Her debut album, “In the Heat of the Night,” released in August 1979, peaked at #12 in the U.S. in March 1980 and was certified Platinum in December 1980. The album’s success marked the beginning of her ascent in the music industry. Her second album, “Crimes of Passion,” released in August 1980, further solidified her position. In February 1981, Benatar won her first Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, adding prestige and likely boosting her market value.
Benatar’s third album, “Precious Time,” hit #1 on the US “Billboard” 200 chart in August 1981, earning her a second Grammy and demonstrating her sustained popularity. In 1983, “Love is a Battlefield” became one of the biggest hits of her career, contributing significantly to her revenue through sales, radio play, and eventual licensing in films and television. In August 1984, her fifth studio album, “Tropico,” was released. While it did not chart as high as previous albums, the single “We Belong” became another top 10 hit, both in the U.S. and internationally.
Beyond album sales and hit singles, Benatar has earned income through extensive touring. Her worldwide tours during the height of her fame would have generated substantial revenue from ticket sales, merchandise, and endorsements. Although specific figures for these tours are not publicly available, they were undoubtedly a significant component of her overall earnings.
Since 1997’s “Innamorata,” Benatar released only one album of new material, 2003’s “Go,” which peaked at #187 in the U.S. In November 2015, she recorded and released a holiday song, “One December Night.” In January 2017, Pat recorded “Shine” to support the Women’s March on January 21, 2017, marking her first original non-holiday recording in over 10 years. Later that year, Benatar collaborated with producer Linda Perry on “Dancing Through the Wreckage” for the soundtrack of the documentary “Served Like a Girl.” In October 2017, the song entered the “Billboard” Adult Contemporary Chart, eventually peaking at #22 in November. “Dancing Through the Wreckage” also received a nomination for Best Song from a Documentary from the Critics’ Choice Awards. While these later projects may not have generated the same level of income as her earlier hits, they still contributed to her overall net worth through royalties and performance fees.
Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo’s Real Estate Portfolio
Pat Benatar and her husband, Neil Giraldo, have made strategic investments in real estate over the years, contributing to their combined net worth. In 2017, they sold their longtime Maui home for $3.2 million. The property, situated on slightly more than an acre, had an adjacent empty lot that they previously owned and sold for $400,000.
In 2007, the couple purchased just under 10 acres of undeveloped land in Malibu, California, for $1.675 million. Over time, they transformed this property into a large primary residence, which is now likely worth north of $10 million. The appreciation of this property significantly contributes to their real estate assets.
Benatar and Giraldo have owned at least two other properties in Malibu, including one that they sold in 2003 for $4.5 million and another they sold in 1999 for $3 million. These transactions demonstrate their active involvement in the real estate market and their ability to generate profits through buying and selling properties.
In total, the Benatar/Giraldo real estate portfolio is likely worth at least $10-15 million. This substantial real estate holding forms a significant portion of their $40 million net worth, highlighting the importance of real estate investments in their overall financial picture.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Patricia Mae Andrzejewski, born on January 10, 1953, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York City, showed early promise in music. Her family later moved to Lindenhurst, New York, a village in the Long Island town of Babylon. Singing her first solo at the age of eight, a song called “It Must Be Spring” at Daniel Street Elementary School, Benatar’s interest in theater and voice lessons began very early.
At Lindenhurst Senior High, she showcased her 4.5-octave voice in school productions. Although she initially planned to attend Julliard, she instead pursued health education at Stony Brook University. After just one year at Stony Brook, Pat married her high-school sweetheart, Dennis T. Benatar, a soldier with whom she moved to Virginia, where he had been stationed. From 1973, she worked as a bank teller in Richmond, Virginia.
Dissatisfied with her life as a housewife and bank clerk, Pat quit her job to pursue a singing career. She took a singing gig at a Holiday Inn and also worked as a singing waitress at a nightclub called The Roaring Twenties. It was there that she met and formed a duo with pianist Phil Coxon, which soon expanded to a ten-person lounge band called Coxon’s Army.
As Coxon’s Army grew in popularity, Dennis was discharged from the Army, and the couple moved to New York City in May 1975 for Pat to pursue her solo singing career. Her performance of Judy Garland’s “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody” caught the attention of Rick Newman, who became her manager. She became a regular performer at the club Catch a Rising Star for the next three years. Between appearances onstage, she recorded commercial jingles for Pepsi-Cola and a number of local brands. In 1978, Pat signed with Chrysalis Records, marking a significant turning point in her career. Shortly after, Pat and Dennis divorced, but she retained his last name, solidifying her stage name, Pat Benatar.
