Michael Kelland John Hutchence was born on the 22nd January 1960, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and was a musician and actor, best known for his work as the frontman of rock band INXS. Together, they released ten studio albums, and toured the world extensively. On 22nd November 1997, Hutchence was found hanged in his hotel room.
Have you ever wondered about the state of Michael Hutchence’s assets at the time of his death? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Hutchence’s net worth at the time of his death was as high as $1 million, earned through his successful career as a musician and actor.
Michael Hutchence Net Worth $1 Million
Michael Hutchence was born to Kelland Hutchence, a Sydney businessman, and Patricia (Kennedy) Hutchence, a make-up artist. He had a twelve years older half-sister, Tina, on his mother’s side, and a younger brother, Brett. The family moved a a lot because of his father’s job, so Michael spent part of his childhood in Hong Kong, where he attended Beacon Hill School, followed by King George V School. He filled his time with various extracurricular activities, including Boy Scouts, fencing, kick boxing, and judo; he was also a talented swimmer, and won several trophies for diving.
The family returned to Sidney when he was twelve, settling in Belrose. He was enrolled in Davidson High, where he met Andrew Farriss, who would become his best friend and collaborator. Shortly after, he joined Farriss’s band Doctor Dolphin, however, their collaboration was cut short because Hutchence’s parents separated, and he moved to California with his mother for a time. When he returned to Sydney, they finally had a chance to start a proper band, and in 1977, The Farriss Brothers was formed. Besides Hutchence and Andrew Farriss, the line-up contained Jon Farris on drums, Tim Farris on lead guitar, Garry Beers (a band mate from Doctor Dolphin) on bass guitar, and Kirk Pengilly on guitar and saxophone.
The band was soon noticed by Midnight Oil’s manager, Garry Morris, who couldn’t represent them at the time, but instead recommended them to another manager, Chris Murphy. At his time, they also changed their name to INXS, because of their excessive stage performance. They released their first, self-titled album in 1980, which achieved gold status in Australia, spawning the hit single “Just Keep Walking”. The band worked very hard during the next couple of years, releasing a new album on yearly basis; “Underneath the Covers”, which also achieved gold status, followed by “Shabooh Shoobah” in 1982. The latter was released internationally, charting on the US Billboard 200, and achieving double platinum status. It produced hits such as “The One Thing”, “To Look at You”, “Black and White”, and “Don’t Change”. “The One Thing” gained even greater popularity when it was featured on the soundtrack for the video game “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories” in 2006. The next four albums were also released to great success and multiple-platinum status, which contributed in good part to Hutchence’s creativity, lyrics, and stage presence.
Parallel with his music career, Hutchence also appeared in several feature films. In 1986, he starred in the Australian drama “Dogs in Space” alongside Saskia Post and Nique Needles. He also played the famous English poet, Percy Bysshe Shelly, in “Roger Corman’s Frankenstein Unbound” (1990), which also starred John Hurt, Raul Julia, and Bridget Fonda. Hutchence left his mark on the movie industry not only as an actor, but also as a songwriter, since many of his songs with INXS were featured in films such as the cult classic “Donnie Darko” (2001) and the award-winning “Monster” (2003).
Regarding Hutchence’s private life, it received almost as much attention as his work, especially his relationships with famous high-profile women such as singer Kylie Minogue and supermodel Helena Christensen. He left behind one child, a daughter, from his relationship with television presenter Paula Yates. Hutchence died during the Australian leg of the band’s 1997 world tour, ruled as suicide due to depression, and alcohol and drug abuse. It is estimated that Hutchence earned about $60 million during his music and film career. However, according to reports, his net worth was not more than $40 000 at the time of his death, afterwards amounting to amost $1 million when his assets were liquidated.
