What was Frank Farian’s Net Worth?
Frank Farian was a German singer and record producer who had a net worth of $80 million at the time of his death. Frank Farian was known for creating the bands Boney M., Milli Vanilli, and No Mercy. These and other groups of his often featured members who merely lip-synced to songs sung by session performers, creating significant controversy in the case of Milli Vanilli. Farian was highly successful during his career, selling over 850 million records and earning around 800 Gold and Platinum certifications.
Early Life
Frank Farian was born as Franz Reuther on July 18, 1941 in Kirn, Germany. Because his father was killed in World War II before he was born, he was raised with his two siblings by his mother.
Career Beginnings
After some time training as a cook, Reuther discovered rock music and renamed himself Frank Farian. He formed the band Frankie Boys Schatten, which released its debut single, “Shouting Ghost,” in 1964. The song was a flop, and the band soon dissolved. In 1967, Farian released a cover of Otis Redding’s song “Mr. Pitiful.” He went on to sign a recording contract as a solo artist. Farian would subsequently appear on the German music television series “Hitparade.” He had his career breakthrough in 1976 with his German-language cover of Dickey Lee’s song “Rocky,” which reached number one on the charts in Germany.
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Boney M.
In early 1975, Farian released the song “Baby Do You Wanna Bump” under the name Boney M. The song eventually became a hit in Belgium and the Netherlands. Farian subsequently recruited vocalists Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett to join him, as well as dancers Maizie Williams and Bobby Farrell for television and live appearances. Going by Boney M., the group released its debut album, “Take the Heat Off Me,” in mid-1976. The album was a huge hit in Europe, spawning the successful singles “Daddy Cool” and “Sunny.” Boney M. continued its success with its second album, 1977’s “Love for Sale,” which launched the hit singles “Ma Baker” and “Belfast.” The band had its greatest commercial success in 1978 with its third album, “Nightflight to Venus.” In addition to topping charts throughout continental Europe and Scandinavia, it became Boney M.’s first number-one album in the UK. “Nightflight to Venus” included the global hit songs “Rivers of Babylon” and “Brown Girl in the Ring.”
Boney M. scored another number-one hit in the UK with the album “Oceans of Fantasy,” released in 1979. Less successful was the band’s next studio album, 1981’s “Boonoonoonoos.” However, Boney M. achieved success later that year with “Christmas Album,” which launched the hit single “Mary’s Boy Child/Oh My Lord.” After the departure of Bobby Farrell, Boney M. added Reggie Tsiboe and released the album “Ten Thousand Lightyears” in 1984. The group released its eighth and final studio album, “Eye Dance,” the following year. Boney M. attempted a number of reunions from 1988 onward, but they were mostly unsuccessful. In 2006, a stage musical called “Daddy Cool,” based on the music of Boney M. and other groups created by Farian, premiered on the West End.
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Far Corporation
As Boney M. was falling apart in the mid-1980s, Farian founded the supergroup Far Corporation. It featured David Paich, Simon Phillips, Steve Lukather, Robin McAuley, and Bobby Kimball. Notably, Far Corporation was the first act to chart with a cover version of Led Zeppelin’s song “Stairway to Heaven.”
Milli Vanilli
In 1988, Farian founded the German R&B music act Milli Vanilli, consisting of main performers Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. The group went on to release its debut album, “All or Nothing,” the same year, and its North American debut “Girl You Know It’s True” in 1989. The latter was a huge success, reaching number one on the Billboard 200 and yielding three number-one singles. For the album, Milli Vanilli won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. However, not long after that, it was revealed that Morvan and Pilatus had not sung any of the vocals on their releases, and had in fact been lip-syncing. This caused a scandal, with Farian confessing to his part in it. Consequently, Milli Vanilli’s Grammy Award was revoked, and numerous lawsuits were filed in the US under consumer fraud protection laws.
La Bouche, Le Click, and No Mercy
After the Milli Vanilli scandal, Farian created the Eurodance duos La Bouche and Le Click. The former had success with its 1995 debut album “Sweet Dreams,” which spawned the singles “Be My Lover, “Fallin’ in Love,” “I Love to Love,” and the title track. La Bouche released one more album, “A Moment of Love,” in 1997. That same year, Le Click had its biggest hit with the single “Call Me,” from its first and only studio album, “Tonight is the Night.”
Among Farian’s other music groups was No Mercy, a trio of American singers brought together in Germany in 1995. The group became successful with its debut album, “My Promise,” which contained the international hit songs “Missing,” “Where Do You Go,” “When I Die,” “Please Don’t Go,” and “Kiss You All Over.” No Mercy would release two more studio albums, “More” (1998) and “Day by Day” (2007).
Other Music Contributions
Among his other music contributions, Farian produced and mixed Meat Loaf’s 1986 album “Blind Before I Stop,” and sang backing vocals on its lead single, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Mercenaries.” He also produced songs and albums by the Jamaican soul singer Precious Wilson.
Personal Life and Death
With Chinya Onyewenjo, Farian had three daughters and a son.
In 2022, Farian announced that he had undergone live-saving heart surgery. Two years later, on January 23, he passed away at the age of 82.
