Billy Joe Thomas, better known as B. J. Thomas was an American singer. He is best known for his hit songs “Hooked on a Feeling” and “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”. Thomas died on May 29 after suffering from stage four lung cancer. BJ Thomas net worth before his death is estimated to be around $5 million.
| Full Name | Billy Joe Thomas |
| Birth Date | August 7, 1942 |
| Birth Place | Hugo, Oklahoma, United States |
| Profession | Singer |
| Wife | Gloria Richardson |
| Net Worth | $5 million |
| Death | May 29, 2021 |
Early life
B.J. Thomas was born on the 7th of August, 1942 in Hugo, Oklahoma. He spent his childhood days growing up in Houston, Texas. As a teenager, he used to sing songs in a church choir. Thomas earned his graduation degree from Lamar Consolidated High School. Before pursuing his solo career, he has performed with the musical group “The Triumphs”.
Thomas later became friends with Roy Head, and the rock band The Traits, with whom he had several Battle of the Bands events. Around 1966, he worked along with The Triumphs, and released the album titled “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”. The album includes the hit cover song “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”, which became a massive hit with selling over a million copies.
BJ Thomas Net Worth & Career in Music
Thomas came with his second million-selling record in 1968, which was “Hooked on a Feeling”. Soon after a year, he achieved another milestone when he sang the song “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”. The song won him the Academy Award in the category of Best Original Song. In January 1970, the song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
During the 1970s, he gave many hit songs like “I Just Can’t Help Believing”, “Everybody’s Out of Town”, “No Love at All”, and Rock and Roll Lullaby”. Thomas dropped the album titled “Reunion” in 1974, which includes the song “Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song”. It became the longest title song which peaked at No. 1 on Hot 100. The single also became his first big hit since 1972.
Thomas came up with another masterpiece in 1976, the album titled “Home Where I Belong”. It was his first Christian album which was certified platinum. The album also helped him to establish himself as the biggest contemporary Christian music artist. He continued to create good music during the 1980s. Thomas gave many blockbuster songs like “New Looks from an Old Lover”, “Whatever Happened to Old-Fashioned Love”, and “Two Car Garage”.
Thomas also sang a theme song titled “As Long as We Got Each Other” for the TV series “Growing Pains”. He actually released the track earlier on his 1985 released album “Throwing Rocks at the Moon”. In 2013, he released an album titled “The Living Room Sessions” which includes acoustic arrangements of many popular songs. That same year on December 3, 2013, his 1969 released song “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” was announced to be inducted in Grammy Hall of Fame by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
BJ Thomas Personal Life
Thomas was married to singer-songwriter, Gloria Richardson. He shared the wedding vows with her in December 1968. Thomas and Gloria share 3 daughters; Paige, Nora, and Erin. They adopted their second daughter, Nora from North Korea in 1978.
His marriage nearly ended when he became addicted to drugs and alcohol after he got a taste of success in his music career. Later, he became a Christian on January 28, 1976. Soon after few days, his wife, Gloria also became a Christian, which helped them to reconcile in 1976.
Thomas was suffering from stage IV lung cancer, which he announced through a Facebook page on March 23, 2021. He reportedly left the world at 78 years of age on May 29 at his Arlington, Texas-based house.
BJ Thomas Net Worth
BJ Thomas has surely left a legacy to remember through his amazing hit numbers. As of 2021, BJ Thomas’ net worth is estimated to be around $5 million. Thomas has earned all the money through his involvement in his music career for over six decades.