Duff McKagan is a multi-talented musician who has created multiple soundtracks for several movies and TV shows, including Terminator Salvation, The Italian Job, xXx: State of the Union, Jumanji: The Next Level, Idol, The Voice, Stuck on You, and much more.
His career as a musician began in 1979 when he joined the punk band the Vains at the age of 15; he was a part of several other bands like Fastbacks, the Fartz, and such, performing on several places, releasing albums and singles.
Duff McKagan Net Worth In 2021 And House
With his endeavors around the music business, Duff McKagan accumulated a fortune of wealth throughout his professionalism. According to CelebrityNetWorth, he has an estimated net worth of $70 million.
He ventured all those earnings mostly from his time in the band Guns N’ Roses, where he managed the profit and losses system of the band selling tickets, T-shirts, and such. While opening his mind more to the money, he even went to buy stocks of some companies; Starbucks, Amazon, and Microsoft, which brought even more money for him.
Similarly, he also earned through the real estate business while purchasing, renovating, and selling the houses he owned. Some of them being his mansion in Agoura Hills, which he bought for $1.5 million and sold for $2.475 million, his cottage in Studio City, which he bought for $425,000, flipped it for $960,000 and lastly sold it at $1.6 million, the Sherman Oaks home which was bought and later sold with nearly a million dollar profit, and such. Besides, he owns a home in Seattle, for which he paid nearly $1.4 million in 1993.
Moreover, Duff added his Southern California beach house on the market listings for $1.45 million last year, describing it as a house with a “sweet disposition” and “great personality.” His wife, Susan, also took the listing to her Twitter account for promoting it.
Duff McKagan Career Highlights
• Played Bass For The Hard Rock Band 'Guns N' Roses'
Duff McKagan had his historic entry as a replacement of bassist Ole Beich in 'Guns N’ Roses' in March 1985, from where he had his career breakthrough along with other band members. The band’s debut album, with the replaced members, Appetite for Destruction, has sold over 18 million copies worldwide to date.
Other band albums include G N’ R Lies, Use Your Illusion I, Use Your Illusion II, The Spaghetti Incident? and such.
McKagan also released his debut solo album, Believe in Me. Later on, in 1995, the band became more inactive, which didn’t stop Duff from pursuing a music career even further. He formed a supergroup 'Neurotic Outsiders' with Steve Jones, John Taylor, and Matt Sorum, with which he released a self-titled album and did a brief tour in Europe and North America before disbanding in 1997.
Subsequently, he decided on departing from 'Guns N’ Roses' that same year and returned to Seattle, where again he reunited the band '10 Minute Warning' along with his old friends, released a self-titled album, and played its last show on August 1998.
• His Work With Several Bands
Duff’s second solo album, Beautiful Disease, came around a year later, in 1999. And for the tour of his album, he formed another band, 'Loaded,' which consisted of McKagan, Daz Cadena, Michael Barragan, and Taz Bently. The band also had some brief performances together, while the band members changed over time until McKagan reformed the band and named it 'Velvet Revolver.'
The band 'Velvet Revolver,' released its debut album, Contraband, in 2004, which also won their first and only Grammy for their album’s single Slither. Unfortunately, the band went on hiatus ever since 2008. Duff also temporarily joined 'Alice in Chains' as a rhythm guitarist in 2006.
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In 2008, McKagan reunited 'Loaded,' after which they released an EP Wasted Heart. The band released its second studio album Sick and toured with Motley Crue and Black Stone Cherry.
McKagan was also previously reported to have permanently joined 'Jane’s Addiction.' However, for a brief moment in 2010, it was as they were headed in a different direction “musically.”
• Reunion With Guns N' Roses
In 2010, Duff McKagan appeared on stage with 'Guns N’ Roses' for the first time since 1993 at The O2 Arena in London. He then returned to 'Loaded,' releasing the band’s third studio album, the Taking, in 2011.
The following year, he went on tour with the 'Rock N Roll All Stars,' a band that consisted of many rock’s most recognizable performers, that was downsized to become a newly formed band titled 'King of Chaos' in 2013. The band released the cover song Never Before by Deep Purple.
He also formed another band named 'Walking Papers' with former 'The Missionary Position' members, with whom he released a self-titled debut album and toured within 2013.
Between 2014 and 2016, McKagan subsequently performed with 'Guns N’ Roses' on-stage on several occasions until he was announced to have returned to the band in 2016. The band then embarked on the 'Not in This Lifetime… Tour.'
McKagan also released his new solo album, Tenderness, in 2019. Moreover, he wrote and released a New York bestseller book titled It’s So Easy *and other lies* in 2011.
Besides, he has also had some appearances in movies and TV shows, including Top of the Pops, Sliders, Behind the Music, Guns N’ Roses: Welcome to the Videos, Lemmy, and such.
Velvet Revolver’s single, Fall to Pieces, which McKagan wrote, was also nominated for a Grammy Award in 2004 for Best Rock Song.
Family And Early Life
On February 5, 1964, Duff McKagan was born in Seattle, Washington, USA, to parents Marie and Elmer “Mac” McKagan as Michael Andrew McKagan. The youngest among the eight siblings in the family was called Duff from a young age.
Talking about his educational background, he was a dropped out but honored student of Roosevelt High School in the tenth grade. However, he did receive a GED while working for the Great American Food and Beverage Company as a pastry chef. Roosevelt High School also awarded him an honorary diploma in 2012 when he spoke at their graduation ceremony.
Later, in 1994, he attended Santa Monica Community College and took up a finance course. He was one semester away from graduating from Seattle University in the early 2000s but left school to tour Velvet Revolver.
Duff first learned to play bass from his brother, Bruce, and further honed his bass skills by playing with Black Flag’s Damaged album and Prince’s 1999 album.
The 57-year-old bassist stands at the height of 6 ft 3 in or 1.9 m. He weighs 75 kg or 165.6 lbs with an athletic build.