American musician Steven Adler has an estimated net worth of $15 million. Known as the original drummer of rock band, Guns N’ Roses, he has the dubious distinction of being the first member of the band to have been fired by singer/leader Axl Rose (touching off a trend that would continue until Rose was the only remaining original member left in attendance by the late ’90s).
Born January 22, 1965 in Cleveland, Ohio, Adler was entirely self-taught on the instrument, inspired by such ’70s hard rockers as Kiss and Aerosmith. After relocating to the Los Angeles area, he befriended a fellow musician, Saul Hudson, who would eventually adopt the nickname Slash — as the duo formed a musical bond and played together in an outfit called Road Crew (named after a Motörhead song). By the mid-’80s, Roadcrew had split up, while Adler and Slash had joined forces with other members of the Sunset Strip metal/glam/punk scene — Rose, bassist Duff McKagan, and rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, to form Guns N’ Roses.
In 1990, Adler was fired from the group (replaced by former Cult drummer Matt Sorum), and slid even deeper into drug abuse, resulting in such health problems as a heart attack and a pair of strokes. Adler has made several attempts at re-entering the rock world since his exit from G N’ R, with such obscure outfits as Freaks in the Room and a new version of Road Crew, as well as a brief spell as the drummer for ’80s Van Halen-disciples the Bulletboys.
Adler’s biggest publicity during the ’90s wasn’t musically based, however — as he successfully sued G N’ R for “wrongful termination,” as well as doing jail time for assaulting two women (in separate cases). By the early 21st century, Adler was supposedly at work on a book detailing his tenure with Guns N’ Roses (with a working title of No Bed of Roses), playing shows with different L.A. bands, and trying to get the ball rolling for a reunion of the original Guns lineup.
Earnings & Financial Data
|
Date |
Category |
Description |
Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1998 |
Record Sales |
Estimated earnings from the live album Live Era ’87–’93 with the American hard rock band Guns N’ Roses (certified platinum by Music Canada, and gold by RIAAand BPI) |
$700,000 |
|
1990 |
Record Sales |
Estimated earnings from the album Use Your Illusion I with the American hard rock band Guns N’ Roses (certified diamond by Music Canada, 7x platinum by RIAA, 4x platinum by ARIA, 2x platinum by BVMI, and platinum by BPI) |
$17,000,000 |
|
1987 |
Record Sales |
Estimated earnings from the album G N’ R Lies with the American hard rock band Guns N’ Roses (certified 5x platinum by RIAA, and gold by BPI and BVMI) |
$5,200,000 |
|
1986 |
Record Sales |
Estimated earnings from the album Appetite for Destruction with the American hard rock band Guns N’ Roses (certified diamond by RIAA and Music Canada,3x platinum by BPI, and platinum by ARIA and BVMI) |
$30,800,000 |