Belinda Carlisle Net Worth

What Is Belinda Carlisle's Net Worth?

Belinda Carlisle is an American singer who has a net worth of $20 million. Belinda Carlisle rose to fame as the lead vocalist of The Go-Go's, the pioneering all-female rock band that emerged from the Los Angeles punk scene in the late 1970s. The group made history with their 1981 debut album "Beauty and the Beat," becoming the first all-female band who wrote and played their own music to reach #1 on the Billboard charts. Their energetic new wave sound produced hits like "We Got the Beat," "Our Lips Are Sealed," and "Vacation."

After The Go-Go's initially disbanded in 1985, Carlisle launched an extremely successful solo career that showcased her distinctive vocals and pop sensibilities. Her 1987 album "Heaven on Earth" produced the international hit "Heaven Is a Place on Earth," which topped charts worldwide. Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, she continued releasing hit singles including "I Get Weak," "Circle in the Sand," "Leave a Light On," and "Summer Rain."

Carlisle's career evolved to include reunions with The Go-Go's, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021, reality television appearances, and a memoir. She has explored different musical styles, including a French-language album and an album of Vedic chants, reflecting her spiritual journey. Throughout her four-decade career, Carlisle has maintained her status as an iconic figure in popular music.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Belinda Carlisle was born on August 17, 1958, in Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of Joanne, a homemaker, and Harold, a gas station worker. Belinda has three brothers and three sisters, all younger than her. At the age of five, Carlisle's father left the family, leaving her to spend most of her childhood in poverty. Later, her mother married Walt Kurczeski, an alcoholic with whom Belinda had a turbulent relationship. The family moved often throughout her early life before settling in Burbank. When she was ten, Carlisle started expressing an interest in music. Following a move to Thousand Oaks as a teenager, she went to Colina Junior High School; subsequently, she went to Newbury Park High School, where she was a cheerleader. After her graduation, Belinda worked at a fabric store and then as a photocopier for Hilton Hotels. She took night classes at a beauty college but dropped out during her first year.

Carlisle had her first professional music gig in 1977 when she became a drummer for the punk rock band the Germs. However, her tenure with the band was curtailed when she contracted mononucleosis.

The Go-Go's

Shortly after departing from the Germs, Carlisle co-founded the Go-Go's, which was originally called the Misfits. Two of the other founding members, Margot Olavarria and Elissa Bello, soon left the group, resulting in the lineup of Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine, and Gina Schock, all of whom were mostly untrained in music. The Go-Go's went on to become one of the most successful American bands of the '80s, helping to popularize the new wave music genre in the United States. The band also became the first all-female group that played its own instruments and wrote its own music to score a #1 album, a feat it accomplished with its 1981 debut, "Beauty and the Beat." Selling over two million copies and becoming RIAA-certified double platinum, the album spawned the hit singles "We Got the Beat" and "Our Lips Are Sealed." Following this, the Go-Go's released "Vacation," which went gold, and "Talk Show." The latter, a relative commercial disappointment in 1984, was the band's last original album until 2001.

Start of Solo Career

After the Go-Go's disbanded in 1985, Carlisle went on to a solo career. She made her debut in 1986 with "Belinda," which became certified gold in the US. One of its singles, "Mad About You," reached #3 in the US, and topped the singles chart in Canada. Other hit singles from the album included "I Feel the Magic" and a cover version of "Band of Gold." Following this, Carlisle released her second solo album, "Heaven on Earth," in 1987. Its first single, "Heaven is a Place on Earth," topped the singles charts in the US and UK, while its second single, "I Get Weak,' reached #2 in the US and #10 in the UK. Other hit singles were "Circle in the Sand" and "World Without You."

In 1989, Belinda released her third solo album, "Runaway Horses," which made it to the top five in both the UK and Australia, going double platinum in the latter. The album's first single, "Leave a Light On," was a top five hit in the UK, Australia, and Canada. Among its other successful singles were "Summer Rain," "La Luna," and "(We Want) the Same Thing."

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Further Solo Career

Carlisle's fourth solo album, "Live Your Life Be Free," came out in 1991. Its singles included the title track, "Do You Feel Like I Feel?," "Half the World," and "Little Black Book." This album was followed by "Real" in 1993 and "A Woman and a Man" in 1996; the latter reinvigorated Carlisle's career in Europe, spawning the singles "In Too Deep," "Always Breaking My Heart," "Love in the Key of C," and "California." Reaching #12 in the UK, "A Woman and a Man" became certified gold. In 1999, Belinda released a greatest hits album in the UK called "A Place on Earth: The Greatest Hits." It featured her hits as well as three new tracks: "All God's Children," "A Prayer for Everyone," and "Feels Like I've Known You Forever." Later solo albums from Carlisle have included "Voila" and "Wilder Shores," the latter of which comprises a selection of Sikh chants.

Go-Go's Reunion

The Go-Go's reunited in 2001 for the album "God Bless the Go-Go's," which spawned the single "Unforgiven." Although it earned mixed reviews, the album made it onto the US "Billboard" 200, peaking at #57. In the next decade, from 2011 to 2012, Carlisle and the Go-Go's did a tour of the United States that included concerts at the Hollywood Bowl and the Greek Theatre.

Personal Life and Health

In the early '80s, Carlisle was in a relationship with drummer Bill Bateman, who she broke up with to be with baseball player Mike Marshall. In 1986, Belinda wed politician and movie producer Morgan Mason. They have one son, Duke. Following the 1994 earthquake in Northridge, California, the family moved to Fréjus in France. In 2017, Carlisle and Mason moved to Bangkok, Thailand. In 2024, they reportedly moved to Mexico City.

Belinda developed a severe addiction to cocaine and alcohol during her early years with the Go-Go's. At the same time, she was dealing with an eating disorder. After her substance abuse reached its peak in 2005, Carlisle swore to pursue sobriety, which she has maintained ever since.

Activism

Spurred on by the coming-out of her 14-year-old son, Carlisle has been vocal about her support of LGBTQ rights. She is also passionate about helping women and animals, having cofounded the Animal People Alliance in 2014. A nonprofit based in Kolkata, India, it raises funds and trains impoverished women to care for animals found on the street.

Real Estate

Bel-Air "Dream House" (Los Angeles) – In 1987, lead singer Belinda Carlisle purchased a historic 1920s estate at 609 St. Cloud Road in Bel-Air. The property, nicknamed "the farm" by original 1930s owner Carole Lombard, was Carlisle's "dream house". This secluded 1930 Tudor-style home (once a retreat for Lombard and Clark Gable) sits on a gated lot and even bears Lombard's handprints in the kitchen concrete. Carlisle listed it in 2007 and sold for about $7.85 million at the peak of the market. (She and husband Morgan Mason reportedly sunk money into repairs after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which depressed its value.)

Benedict Canyon Home (Beverly Hills) – Carlisle later owned a smaller Beverly Hills canyon residence at 1843 Benedict Canyon Dr. This 3-bedroom, 4-bath house (approx. 3,452 sq. ft., built 1930) was bought in the mid-1990s. She used it as an L.A. base while spending much time abroad, referring to it as a personal "bolthole" in Los Angeles. The home was valued around $2.3 million in the 2010s, and by 2021 it was noted as her "former home," indicating it had been sold by then.

Provence Estate (South of France) – Fulfilling a long-held dream, Carlisle "went native" in France, residing there for 25 years. She and Mason owned multiple homes in the South of France, ultimately settling in the hills near Fréjus (Provence) with an abode overlooking the Bay of Cannes. The property – essentially a countryside estate – included a main house, a pool, and other structures reflecting Carlisle's eclectic "Riviera style" (vintage French decor, vibrant colors, and indoor-outdoor living). Carlisle left France and moved to Bangkok in 2017, reportedly because she "could not adjust" back to life in Los Angeles. In 2024, it was reported that she was living in Mexico City.

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