Greg Kihn, who was a successful musician and novelist from America, left behind a huge sum of net worth after his passing on August 13, 2024, at the age of 75.
Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., Gregory Stanley Kihn, aka Greg Kihn, has carved a name for himself in the American music industry.
He first became famous through his pop-rock band, The Greg Kihn Band, which he established in 1976 with his friend Steve Wright.
Rock legend Greg Kihn — the guy behind "Jeopardy' and "The Breakup Song" — has died after a fight with Alzheimer’s. #RIP 💔 pic.twitter.com/Vxa88MYt3w
— TMZ (@TMZ) August 16, 2024
The band’s famous 1981 song, The Breakup Song, reached number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the 1983 song Jeopardy reached number 2.
Their hit songs brought various awards and accolades to the group, raising the band’s popularity.
Moreover, even though the band no longer exists, their songs are still famous among people as they have 916,374 monthly listeners on Spotify, and members have been cautiously receiving royalties.
Similarly, Greg Kihn’s Spotify page has 6,637 monthly, where his single albums are making a reasonable sum of money.
R.I.P. Greg Kihn who apparently could have also been Han Solo. pic.twitter.com/xnhjU6zEGB
— Mike Vanderbilt: Hair Stylist At Large (@MikeVanderbilt) August 16, 2024
Through his over forty-year career in the music industry, from 1976 to 2019, Greg Kihn is reported to have accumulated over $10 million in net worth, with which he lived a luxurious lifestyle in his house in Clayton, California.
After his passing, his net worth and income from music would be given to his wife, Jay Arafiles-Kihn.
As Greg Kihn was a multifaceted personality, his income sources were various
Despite being a famous musician, Greg Kihn was a successful radio personality and novelist. In early 1996, he started working as a radio disc jockey on a Bay Area classic rock radio station, KUFX. A
According to reports, Greg Kihn continued his radio jockey career for almost 16 years until 2012, when he became quite popular. Further, KUFX used to pay him considerable money, which allowed him to live a fancy lifestyle.
Q104 Update: Greg Kihn, the rock singer-songwriter who scored with “Jeopardy” and “The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em)” and helped define an era of power pop in the 1980s, died Tuesday at age 75. The cause of death was complications from Alzheimer’s disease. pic.twitter.com/kOFNTKBISB
— Q104Halifax (@Q104Halifax) August 15, 2024
Moreover, the same year his jockey career began, Greg Kihn also began his literary career as he released his first novel, Horror Show, in 1996.
Published by the Tor/Forge Books production, Greg Kihn’s first book became a breakthrough, and even the prestigious Bram Stoker Award-nominated his book for Best First Novel.
After the popularity of his first novel, he released a new novel every year till 1999. His second novel, Shade of Pale, came out in 1997, Big Rock Beat in 1998, and Mojo Hand in 1999.
His books are still prevalent in the media and are available for sale in various online stores, including Amazon. Even after his demise, his immortal books are bringing him huge assets that now probably go to his family, next of kin, or charities.
Greg Kihn always donated a portion of the wealth and assets he earned from his writing, music, and radio career to charities.
According to the sources, he provided funds to Operation Care and Comfort, an organization that aims to provide care packages for hundreds of military units deployed in harm’s way around the world.
Another one gone. RIP Greg Kihn. Now the Breakup Song means even more. pic.twitter.com/wO5OY6O90e
— Writers&RockersCoffee (@rockerscoffee) August 15, 2024
Further, he supported children fighting against cancer by working closely with all in Oakland, California’s children’s hospital.
In 2019, the Lymphoma Society nominated Greg Kihn for the Man of the Year Award.
Additional Information
- Greg Kihn passed away after fighting with Alzheimer’s disease, which is a brain disorder that gets worse over time.
- According to the New York Times, Greg Kihn shared two children: a son, Ryan Kihn, and a daughter, Alexis Harrington-Kihn, with his wife, Jay Arafiles-Kihn. He also has two grandchildren.
- Greg Kihn’s 2013 novel Rubber Soul features the rock band Beatles, while its genre is murder mystery. Apart from a novel, he also wrote numerous short stories.
