What is Dionne Warwick's net worth?
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress, and television host with a net worth of $300,000. Warwick is also the former United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization and the United States Ambassador of Health.
Dionne's net worth was at one time much higher, but it was also at one time negative $10 million. Dionne has experienced financial problems on and off in recent years. She filed for personal bankruptcy in 2013, at which time she reported to a court that she had less than $25,000 in assets and more than $10 million in debt. Some of Warwick's most famous hits include "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head and "Do You Know the Way to San Jose."
Early Life
Marie Dionne Warrick (she changed it to Warwick later) was born on December 12, 1940, in Orange, New Jersey, to Mancel Warrick and Lee Drinkard. She's from a musical family. Her mom was the manager of the popular gospel singing group, the Drinkard Sisters. Many of Warrick's relatives were members of the Drinkard Sisters. Her dad was a record promoter as well as a railroad porter, chef, and CPA. Dionne had a sister, Delia, and a brother, Mancel Jr. As a child, she was a member of the Girl Scouts. Dionne began singing gospel as a child at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. She graduated from East Orange High School in 1959 and enrolled at Hartt College of Music in West Hartford, Connecticut. During a recording session, she met Burt Bacharach, who hired her to record demos for songs he wrote with songwriter Hal David.
Dionne's maternal aunt Cissy Houston is the mother of the late singer Whitney Houston.
Career
Dionne was performing background vocals for the Drifters' song "Mexican Divorce" when Burt Bacharach noticed her voice and star presence. Warwick was signed to Bacharach's and Hal David's production company, which in turn was signed to Scepter Records in 1962 by the record label's president Florence Greenberg. In November 1962, Scepter Records released her first solo single, "Don't Make Me Over." Dionne's name was misspelled on the single's label, and she began using the new spelling (i.e., "Warwick"). She followed up with "The Empty Place," the B side of which was what would become one of her most famous songs, "Wishing and Hopin.'" "Anyone Who Had a Heart" was Warwick's first top 10 hit. In April 1964, she released the song "Walk On By," which became a major international hit.
From the mid-1960s to the early 1970s, Warwick had a string of hits, including "Do You Know the Way To San Jose," "Message to Michael," "Alfie," "Trains and Boats and Planes," and "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself." The single "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" was a Top 10 hit in several countries, including the UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Japan, and Mexico More hits followed, including "Who Is Gonna Love Me," "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me," "Promises, Promises," "This Girl's in Love with You," "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," "Make It Easy on Yourself," "Let Me Go to Him," and "Paper Mache."
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In 1971, Warwick left Scepter Records for Warner Bros. Records for a $5 million contract, the most lucrative recording contract ever given to a female vocalist at the time. There were no big hits during the early and mid part of the decade, aside from 1974's "Then Came You." Warwick recorded five albums with Warner before moving to Arista Records in 1979, where she began a second successful run of hit records and albums well into the late 1980s, including "I'll Never Love This Way Again," "How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye," and the 1985 American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR) benefit single "That's What Friends Are For" alongside Gladys Knight, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder.
During the 1990s, Warwick hosted infomercials for the Psychic Friends Network, which featured self-described psychic Linda Georgian. The 900-number psychic service was active from 1991 to 1998. According to press statements throughout the 1990s, the program was the most successful infomercial for several years and Warwick earned in excess of three million dollars per year as spokesperson for the network.
Personal Life
Dionne married actor William David Elliott in 1966 and divorced in May 1967. They remarried in Milan, Italy, in August 1967. In January 1969, their first son David was born. In 1973, their second son Damon was born. Dionne and Bill divorced in December 1975.
Warwick was arrested at Miami International Airport in 2002 for possession of marijuana. Allegedly, she had 11 marijuana cigarettes hidden in a lipstick container inside her carry-on luggage. She was charged with possessing marijuana totaling less than five grams.
Money Issues
In March 2013, Dionne Warwick declared that she was completely broke and owed an estimated $10 million in back taxes. Her bankruptcy filing reported that Dionne only had $25,000 in assets at the time while also having $10.2 million in debts. The same filing listed her monthly income at $20,000 and her monthly expenses at $21,000.
In October 2007, Warwick appeared on the list of the Top 250 Delinquent Taxpayers. She had delinquent taxes in the amount of more than $2.7 million. The IRS uncovered the fact that a large amount of Warwick's tax debt was due to an accounting order. The IRS revoked $1.2 million of the tax lien in 2009.
Real Estate
When Warwick filed for bankruptcy in 2013, she was living in a rented detached home in South Orange, New Jersey.
