What Was Minnie Riperton's Net Worth?
Minnie Riperton was an American singer-songwriter who had a net worth of $3 million at the time of her death. Minnie Riperton was born in Chicago, Illinois, in November 1947 and passed away in July 1979. She was best known for her single "Lovin' You." Riperton was known as the "queen of the whistle register" and was known for her five-octave coloratura soprano. As a teenager, she was the lead vocalist for the girl group, "The Gems." Minnie then began to sing backup vocals for several popular artists, including Etta James, Ramsey Lewis, Fontella Bass, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, and Chuck Berry. She was also the lead singer for the group Rotary Connection, from 1967 to 1971. Her debut studio album, "Come to My Garden," was released in 1970. Riperton's album "Perfect Angel" was released in 1974. It reached #1 on the US R&B chart and #4 on the "Billboard" 200. She also had success with her albums "Adventures in Paradise" (1975), "Stay in Love" (1977), "Minnie" (1979), and "Love Lies Forever" (1980). Her single "Lovin' You" reached #1 in the US and #2 in the UK. Unfortunately, Minnie Riperton passed away on July 12, 1979, at the age of 31 from cancer. She was married to Richard Rudolph. One of her children is comedian/actress Maya Rudolph.
Early Life
Minnie Riperton was born on November 8, 1947, in Chicago, Illinois. She was the daughter of Thelma Inez and Daniel Riperton. Her father worked as a Pullman porter, which was a group of men hired to work as porters for the sleeping cars of trains. She was raised with seven older siblings and was exposed to music and the arts from a young age. Minnie began training in ballet and modern dance before her parents recognized her vocal and musical abilities and encouraged her to pursue music and voice training. She began vocal training at the Abraham Lincoln Center with Marion Jeffery, who helped her practice proper breathing, phrasing, and diction. Jeffery was convinced that Riperton could become a successful opera singer and pushed her to study the classics at Chicago's Junior Lyric Opera. However, Minnie became more interested in soul, rhythm and blues, and rock music. She graduated from Hyde Park High School and then enrolled at Loop College, where she was a member of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority. She ended up dropping out of college in order to pursue her music career.
(Photo by Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images)
Career
Riperton's first professional singing engagement was with The Gems when she was 15 years old. The Gems had relatively limited commercial success but proved to be a good experience for Minnie early in her career. The group morphed into a session group known as Studio Three. In 1966, Minnie joined Rotary Connection, a funky rock-soul group that consisted of Riperton, Leonard Chess, Judy Hauff, Sidney Barnes, and Charles Stepney. They released their debut album, "Rotary Connection," in 1968. Over the next few years, they released five more albums.
Riperton released her first solo album, "Come to My Garden," in 1970 on GRT Records. She was presented as a solo artist by Ramsey Lewis on December 26, 1970, at Chicago's famed London House. She went on to perform several tracks from the album while accompanied by Charles Stepney. Although the record was not commercially successful at the time of its release, "Come to My Garden" is now acclaimed by music critics.
Minnie in 1975 (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
In 1973, a college intern for Epic Records found Riperton in semi-retirement as she had become a homemaker and mother of two in Gainesville, Florida. After he heard a demo of the song "Seeing You This Way," the intern took the tape to Don Ellis, the vice president of Artist & Repertoire for Epic Records. Minnie signed with Epic, and her family moved to Los Angeles for her to continue her music career. She released her new album, "Perfect Angel," which included the singles "Take a Little Trip," "Seeing You This Way," and "Reasons."
The fourth single from the album, "Lovin' You," went to the top of the charts in April 1975 in the United States and 24 other countries. It sold more than one million copies and was awarded a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America.
After the release of "Perfect Angel," Riperton began working on her third album "Adventures in Paradise." The album became a modest success but did not match the success of "Perfect Angel." She released her fourth album in 1977, "Stay in Love." It featured a collaboration with Stevie Wonder on the track "Stick Together."
In 1978, Riperton moved to Capitol Records. In April 1979, she released her fifth and final album, "Minnie." The song "Memory Lane" became a hit. After Riperton died, several artists contributed vocals to tracks she had recorded before her death to help her husband, Richard Rudolph, compile a final tribute to his wife, "Love Lives Forever."
Minnie Riperton, her husband Richard Rudolph, and children Maya Rudolph and Marc Rudolph attend the Hollywood Christmas Parade in December 1978 (Photo by Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images)
Personal Life and Death
Riperton was married to songwriter and music producer Richard Rudolph from August 1970 until her death in July 1979. They had two children together – Marc and Maya. Marc went on to become a music engineer, while Maya became a comedian and was a "Saturday Night Live" cast member from 2000 to 2007.
On August 24, 1976, Riperton announced on "The Tonight Show" that she had undergone a mastectomy due to breast cancer. At the time of her diagnosis, Minnie found out the cancer had already spread to her lymphatic system, and she was given about six months to live. She continued touring throughout 1977 and 1978 and became the national spokeswoman for the American Cancer Society during this year.
While she was recording her final album, "Minnie," her cancer progressed to the point that she experienced a great deal of pain. Extreme lymphedema immobilized her right arm in early 1979. During her final singing appearances on television, her right arm remained in a fixed position during her performances. By mid-June, Riperton was confined to bed. She entered Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on July 10, 1979. Two days later, Minnie died in the arms of her husband. A funeral service was held the following Sunday and was attended by more than five hundred mourners. She was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. Her epitaph is the opening line of her most famous song: "Lovin' you is easy cause you're beautiful."
