Sting: “My Kids Won’t Be Inheriting My $300 Million Fortune”

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Between royalties from The Police, his solo career, and however much he makes arsing about with orchestras and weird ukeleles, it’s safe to say Sting‘s pockets aren’t exactly empty. In fact, Celebrity Net Worth estimates his fortune to be $300 million, and not a dime is going to his kids.

The 62-year-old musician told the Mail on Sunday‘s Event magazine that he doesn’t want to leave his children “trust funds that are albatrosses round their necks.” The singer says he’s concerned that leaving his progeny ridiculous amounts of cash to play with will sap them of any work ethic.

“They have to work,” the veteran insisted. “All my kids know that and they rarely ask me for anything, which I appreciate. Obviously, if they were in trouble I would help them, but I’ve never really had to do that. They have this work ethic that makes them want to succeed on their own merit.”

The rocker’s position is understandable, having grown up in a working class family in Wallsend on Tyneside. His hard road to fame and fortune was marked by pub gigs paying £10 a night, that he says instilled him with “a resilience and a toughness” that he hopes to pass on to his young ones.

Comparing his route to those of modern pop stars like Justin Bieber, he said, “If it had all been handed to me on a plate, I’m not sure I would appreciate it or have survived.” He said his determination to become successful was sparked by seeing the Queen Mother as a child. “I am going to be rich, famous, successful and drive a Rolls-Royce like her,” he vowed to himself.

Besides, Sting says that there won’t in fact be a whole lot of money left for his children to inherit by the time he passes on. “I told them there won’t be much money left because we are spending it,” he said. “We have a lot of commitments. What comes in we spend, and there isn’t much left.”

Watch: Sting – The Last Ship (Live From The Public Theater)

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