What Is Howard Donald's Net Worth?
Howard Donald is an English singer-songwriter, musician, dancer, DJ, and producer who has a net worth of $60 million.
Howard Donald is a member of the English pop group Take That. With the group, he has released over 10 albums and toured around the world consistently since the 1990s. Later in his career, he participated as a judge or contestant on a couple of reality shows, like "The Masked Dancer" and "Got to Dance."
Take That has had 27 singles in the Top 40 and seven #1 albums. The group released their debut studio album "Take That & Party" in 1992 and has released seven albums, including their latest III, in December 2014. Their albums have been certified Gold or Platinum and charted in nine countries. Some of Take That's biggest hits include "Could It Be Magic," "Pray," "Relight My Fire," "Babe," "Everything Changes," "Sure," "Back for Good," "Never Forget," "How Deep Is Your Love," "Patience," "Shine," "Rule the World," "Greatest Day," and "The Flood." The group has won many awards and was named Amazon's top-selling music artist of all time. They were named by "Forbes" as the 5th highest earning music stars in the world in 2012 and Take That was named the most successful boy band in UK chart history by Official Charts Company. Donald uses the name DJ HD and specializes in Chicago House.
(Photo by Brian Rasic/WireImage)
Early Life
Howard Donald was born on April 28, 1968, in Droylsden. Lancashire, England. He attended Moorside Primary School and then Littlemoss High School. His brother Colin had a large vinyl collection that strongly influenced the development of Howard's music taste. As a teen, he listened to electronic acts like Kraftwerk, John Foxx, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, and Gary Numan. He also became interested in dancing and frequented the burgeoning breakdancing circuit in the Greater Manchester area, where he first met his future bandmate, Jason Orange. He also began DJing in the local club scene.
Take That
In his early 20s, Donald auditioned for Nigel Martin-Smith's new boy band project in Manchester. He was selected for the group along with Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, and Robbie Williams. The group was eventually named Take That. Since their formation in 1990, the group has released 28 top-40 singles, 12 of which reached the #1 spot on the UK Singles Chart. They also released nine #1 albums on the UK Albums Chart. Robbie Williams left the group in 1995, and Take That carried on as a quartet. Donald generally was not often featured on lead vocals, though he did sing lead vocals on the single "Never Forget" in 1995. The single reached the top spot in the UK that year.
In early 1996, Take That decided to split up. Following the split, Howard attempted a solo career. He recorded the single "Speak Without Words" but then abandoned the idea of becoming a solo artist and returned to DJing.
In 2005, Take That reformed and announced a reunion tour called "The Ultimate Tour," which they embarked on in the summer of 2006. They also released a greatest hits album called "Never Forget: The Ultimate Collection." The tour was followed in late 2006 by their first studio album since 1995, "Beautiful World." That album spawned two #1 hits, "Patience" and "Shine." Donald was featured on lead vocals on the tracks "Beautiful World" and "Mancunian Way." The latter song is a tribute to the band's hometown of Manchester.
In 2008, Take That released another album called "The Circus." Howard sang lead on the tracks "What is Love" and "Here." He also shared lead vocals with the rest of the band on the album's opening track, "The Garden." They released the album "Progress" in 2010, and Donald sang lead vocals on the track "Affirmation." He also played drums on several songs on the album. The group's next album was "Wonderland" in 2017. Howard sang lead vocals on the track "Every Revolution." They released the album "Odyssey" in 2018 and then the album "This Life" in 2023.
Getty Images
Other Work
Donald has participated in a few reality shows in his later career. In 2013, he was one of the judges on the dancing show "Got to Dance" in Germany. In 2021, Howard appeared on the reality show "The Masked Dancer." He reached the finals and was unmasked in third place.
Donald has been involved in some controversies related to the music industry. In June 2012, it was revealed that he had invested millions in various music industry investment schemes along with bandmates Gary Barlow and Mark Owen. The news attracted attention as some of the schemes could serve as tax shelters for high-net-worth people. However, the band's lawyers stated that each band member had paid significant tax and had truly believed the schemes were not for tax avoidance purposes.
Personal Life
From 2000 to 2008, Donald was in an on/off relationship with musician Adakini Ntuli. He was granted a super-injunction against her in April 2010 after Ntuli began dating and became engaged to publicist Max Clifford. Ntuli had been in talks with "News of the World" to share details about her life and past relationship with Donald. He was granted the injunction in order to prevent details about their relationship from becoming public. He stated in a 2005 documentary that he had previously struggled with thoughts of suicide, particularly right after Take That had split up, and planned to drown himself in the River Thames. However, he did not go through with his plan, and his mental health improved.
Donald married illustrator Katie Halil on January 2, 2015. They have two sons together, and Howard also has two daughters from two previous relationships.
Donald has stated that he supports the legalization of cannabis, finding that it is less dangerous and violent than alcohol. He is a fan of sports and supports the Manchester United football club.
