Who is the richest musician of all time?

Answer 1

Almost certainly the richest professional musician who ever lived was the Swiss conductor Paul Sacher (1906-1999). He was listed as the 3rd richest man in the world in 1996, with a net worth of over $20 billion US. He was the conductor of the Basel Chamber Orchestra. Of course, he didn't make his fortune from music; he made it the old-fashioned way, by marrying into it, in his case marrying the heiress to the Hofmann-LaRoche pharmaceutical fortune, then subsequently taking over the company and turning into an industry powerhouse. Still, he remained active as a professional musician almost to the end of his life.

Answer 2

Almost certainly the richest professional musician who ever lived was the Swiss conductor Paul Sacher.