Bret Michaels, the American rockstar and reality TV personality, has been the topic of major headlines for decades. He first made his mark on our pop culture conscious as the frontman for the metal band Poison. Today, Michaels’ net worth stands at approximately $12 million, but his journey to achieving his wealth has not been without challenges.
Early Life
Bret Michael Sychak was born on March 15, 1963, in Butler, Pennsylvania. Raised in Mechanicsburg alongside two sisters, Bret was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes from an early age. While attending high school, he joined his first rock band as a teen and adopted the stage name “Bret Michaels”.
Career
Michaels’ first connections in the music industry were with Rikki Rockett and Bobby Dall – two future members of Poison. By 1984, they had been joined by Matt Smith to form the band Poison. After moving to Los Angeles, the group found greater opportunities in the city’s rising music scene.
Eventually, Smith was replaced by C.C. DeVille. As word spread across Los Angeles, Poison was eventually offered a record deal with Enigma Records. Their first album, Look What the Cat Dragged In, initially fell under the radar. However, after Bret Michaels organized a popular music video for the track “Talk Dirty to Me,” Look What the Cat Dragged In went platinum. The group quickly rose to incredible fame, headlining a concert at Madison Square Garden.
Over the next few years, Poison released tracks like “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” (a power ballad about Michaels’ breakup with his girlfriend) and “Nothin’ but a Good Time.” Both hits were on Poison’s second studio album, “Open Up and Say… Ahh!” The album achieved multi-platinum status, and it’s widely considered one of their finest. In 1990, they achieved multi-platinum status once again with “Flesh & Blood”.
However, conflicts within the band soon reached a fever pitch, and these arguments seriously impacted their ability to release successful music over the next period. In particular, Bret Michaels and C.C. DeVille got into fierce arguments – often while on stage. Eventually, C.C. DeVille left the band as a result.
After Poison, Michaels embarked on a solo career. He experimented with Country music, then released the album “Songs of Life.” His next album was the country-oriented “Freedom of Sound.” In 2010, he released the album “Custom Built,” which featured the chart-topping collaboration with Miley Cyrus, “Nothing to Lose.” In 2012, Bret Michaels toured alongside Def Leppard and released another album called “True Grit” in 2015.
Television and Film
Michaels has also made his mark in reality TV. He served as a judge on the show, “Nashville Star” and starred on three seasons of “Rock of Love with Bret Michaels.” He won “Celebrity Apprentice 3” and appeared in a documentary about his daily life, “Bret Michaels: Life as We Know It” in 2010.
In 1998, Bret Michaels wrote, directed, and starred in the film “Letter from Death Row.” The film was co-produced by Charlie Sheen. Later, Sheen and Michaels would produce various other films such as “No Code of Conduct,” “Free Money,” and “In God’s Hands.” Bret also appeared on shows like American Idol, Good Morning America, Yes, Dear, The Chris Isaak Show, Don’t Forget the Lyrics! and The Masked Singer.
Relationships
During the filming of “Bret Michaels: Life as I Know It,” Bret proposed to his long-time partner Kristi Lynn Gibson. During their relationship, they had two children together. They announced their separation in 2012. Bret Michaels was also romantically involved with Pamela Anderson, and he was the other party in Anderson’s infamous sex tape.
Health Issues
Michaels had struggled with health issues throughout his career. During an early Poison concert, Bret collapsed on stage. After the media spread stories suggesting that it was the result of a drug overdose, Michaels was forced to admit that he had Type 1 diabetes. In 2010, he received hospital treatment after experiencing severe numbness in the left side of his body. Doctors determined that he had a heart issue, which may have been related to a brain hemorrhage he suffered weeks earlier.
Real Estate
In 2006, Michaels acquired a property in Scottsdale, Arizona, for $2.205 million. In 2014, Bret purchased a property in Calabasas, California, for $3.05 million. A year later in 2015, he tried to flip the property for $3.649 million, and in 2016 he managed to sell it for just over $3.4 million.
Today, Bret Michaels’ net worth stands at $12 million. Despite struggles with health issues and conflicts within his band, he has achieved success in both the music industry and reality television. With a solid investment in real estate, his wealth is likely to continue growing in the years to come.
