7 Rags To Riches Celebrities

There’s a saying that goes: “the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor.” And although some truth lies in that statement, it is not always the case.
If you have ambition and work hard, wealth can be achieved! Cases in point: below are seven true tales of celebrities who have earned a lot of money during their noteworthy careers.

7. Pelé, soccer legend
Status: Rags to Riches
Estimated net worth: $18 million dollars
Brought up in Brazilian poverty, Pelé worked as a servant in tea shops. Too poor to afford a soccer ball, Pelé developed his soccer skills using a sock stuffed with newspaper. This hobby quickly became a potential career path, and at the age of 15, Pelé was asked to be a part of the Santos FC Junior team. He played only one season before joining the senior organization. Hard work and determination provided Pelé with the option to turn his life around. Edison Arantes-Pelé is, to this day, one of (if not the) best players to ever play the game.

6. Demi Moore, actress
Status: Rags to Riches
Estimated net worth: $75 million
Demi Moore endured incessant hardship as a child. Her mother was an alcoholic, her father abused drugs and the family moved often in search of stable work. The continuous travel affected Demi Moore’s schooling so, at the age of 16, she dropped out of high school to pursue a Hollywood career. It was a good choice because in 1992, Demi Moore was labelled as one the most successful female actresses of all time.

5. Ozzy Osbourne, rock legend
Status: Rags to Riches
Estimated net worth: $147 million
Ozzy Osbourne had dyslexia. This problem affected his life socially as well as academically. So, at the age of just 15, he abandoned his school studies to join a local band as the lead singer. The band performed often and people recognized Osbourne’s talent almost immediately. Ozzy went on to create his own band, Black Sabbath. Ultimately, the decision to drop out of high school and pursue his passion for music left Ozzy Osbourne with a legendary music career, a reality TV show (The Osbournes) and a multi-million dollar net worth.

4. Jim Carrey, comedian and actor
Status: Rags to Riches
Income per year: $30 million
Growing up was far from funny for comedian Jim Carrey. He lived in a van and in order to make ends meet, worked eight-hour shifts at a tire company. But when Jim turned 16, he dropped out of high school, left Canada and headed to Los Angeles. From there, he applied to work at The Comedy Store, a comedy club in West Hollywood, and appeared regularly. This provided him with contacts and opportunity, which led to his big break on the TV show, In Living Colour, and eventually his hugely successful movie career.

3. Jay-Z, rapper and businessman
Status: Rags to Riches
Income per year: $63 million
Shawn Corey Carter, better known as Jay-Z, began his influential music career on the ruthless streets of Brooklyn. Abandoned by his father at age 12, Jay-Z and his brother were forced to make income by selling crack cocaine. But when Jay-Z was given a boom box from his mother, his life drastically changed. He began to rap and his ability to combine clever lyrics with smooth flow shook the hip-hop industry. Today, along with his success in music, Jay-Z has raked in the dough in the fashion industry with his streetwear line, Rocawear. He is the richest rapper alive and takes in a whopping 1 million dollars per concert.

2. J.K. Rowling, author
Status: Rags to Riches
Estimated net worth: $1 billion
Harry Potter author, J.K. Rowling, was not always so lucky. Forced to live in poverty as a single mother, Rowling would tear up at the thought of her children suffering. She wished her gloomy life could become something magical and when she released her first novel, it did. J.K Rowling went from having nothing to being one of the richest women in Britain.

1. Oprah Winfrey, media proprietor
Status: Rags to Riches
Estimated net worth: $2.5 billion
Born in rural Mississippi to a teen mom, Oprah Winfrey was surrounded with challenges. She was raped at the age of nine, and then at 14, gave birth to a son that died in infancy. However, this heart-wrenching tale has a happy ending. At 19, Oprah was sent to live with her father and through his multiple connections, he was able to land her a job with a radio station. The rest, as they say, is history. Winfrey remains the only African-American wealthy enough to rank among America’s 400 richest persons.