Gene Simmons Is Worth More Than Dave Grohl, Axl Rose, James Hetfield & Lars Ulrich

It's been a few years since we checked in with Celebrity Net Worth. We checked in back in 2012 when the site compiled a list of the richest rock vocalists. The list doesn't look to have changed much in rankings, but the monetary values have certainly increased.

Here's how Celebrity Net Worth claims it figures out its list:

The figures contained in this list were acquired from all publicly available information including salaries, real estate holdings, divorces, record sales, royalties and endorsements. The final net worths come from a formula that takes out taxes, manager’s fees, agents’ fees, and lifestyle.

I must remind you that these figures should be taken with a grain of salt and strictly for entertainment purposes. For the most part, these are guesses. I remember Randy Blythe once joked that he wished he was worth whatever they had him listed as because it was way off. With that said, let's dig in a little.

The richest metal-ish musician on the list is Gene Simmons at $300 million, the same net worth he allegedly had in 2012. It's odd to note that the list also has the entire band KISS worth $300 million as well, but doesn't explain the difference.

Dave Grohl is listed at $280 million, $55 million more than in 2012m, likely helped by the success of his documentaries and the latest Foo Fighters album.

Metallica's James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich are listed at $220 million, about $45 million more than a few years ago, which is surprising given all the money the band poured into their movie that bombed. Meanwhile, Kirk Hammett barely makes the list at $140 million. What could the disproportionate wealth be accounted to? Perhaps Hetfield/Ulrich get more royalties since they're listed as the primary songwriters on most tunes?

Surprisingly, Ozzy Osbourne is listed at $220 million as well – a huge jump from the $90 million listed in 2012, likely helped by all the final Black Sabbath reunion shows. Also, I'm guessing this doesn't take into account Sharon's wealth. I would assume Ozzy would be much higher on the list. Tony Iommi is listed at #50, with $140 million, which is no small chunk of change.

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant both came in at $170 million, while Pink Floyd's Roger Waters is listed at $290 million, likely due to Waters huge stadium tour playing The Wall. His former bandmate, David Gilmour, is listed at $160 million.

The biggest shock of the list is that Axl Rose is only listed at $150 million. I guess the guy has a penchant for blowing money, but at the same time, this year's Guns N Roses reunion tour blew every other tour away at the box office. Perhaps that wasn't yet taken into account.

Paul McCartney still reigns at the top of the list adding $400 million to his wealth. Bono, at #2, added a "measly" $100 million. Here's the full list:

1. Paul McCartney – $1.2 billion
2. Bono – $700 million
3. Elton John – $500 million
4. Jimmy Buffet- $500 million
5. Mick Jagger – $360 million
6. Bruce Springsteen – $350 million
7. Ringo Starr – $350 million
8. Keith Richards – $340 million
9. Bjorn Ulvaeus (songwriter) – $300 million
10. Dave Matthews – $300 million
11. Gene Simmons – $300 million
12. Jon Bon Jovi – $300 million
13. Kiss – $300 million (not sure the distinction here between the band and Gene)
14. Sting – $300 million
15. Roger Waters – $290 million
16. Dave Grohl – $280 million
17. Phil Collins – $260 million
18. Eric Clapton – $250 million
19. The Edge – $240 million
20. Rod Stewart – $235 million
21. Benny Andersson – $230 million
22. David Bowie – $230 million
23. James Hetfield – $220 million
24. Lars Ulrich – $220 million
25. Ozzy Osbourne – $220 million
26. Adam Clayton – $200 million
27. Agnetha Faltskog  – $200 million
28. Anni-Frid Lyngstad  – $200 million
29. Don Henley  – $200 million
30. George Michael  – $200 million
31. Larry Mullen Jr.  – $200 million
32. Phish  – $200 million
33. Robbie Williams  – $200 million
34. Billy Joel  – $180 million
35. Bob Dylan  – $180 million
36. Brian May  – $175 million
37. Jimi Hendrix  – $175 million
38. Neil Diamond  – $175 million
39. Charlie Watts  – $170 million
40. Jimmy Page  – $170 million
41. Robert Plant  – $170 million
42. Roger Taylor  – $170 million
43. David Gilmour – $160 million
44. Axl Rose  – $150 million
45. Bob Geldof  – $150 million
46. Courtney Love  – $150 million
47. Nick Mason  – $150 million
48. Angus Young  – $140 million
49. Kirk Hammett  – $140 million
50. Tony Iommi  – $140 million

[via Metal Insider]