Gene Autry Net Worth - Pulptastic

Publish date: 2024-06-06

What was Gene Autry’s Net Worth?

Gene Autry, the singing cowboy and actor, had a net worth of $500 million at the time of his death, after adjusting for inflation. He appeared in more than 90 movies and starred on “The Gene Autry Show” from 1950 to 1956. Autry’s signature song was “Back in the Saddle Again,” and he was known for his Christmas songs. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in the ’40s and served as a C-109 transport pilot. Autry was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and he is the only person to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in all five categories. He passed away from lymphoma in October 1998 at the age of 91.

Gene Autry’s Business Empire

Gene Autry, famous for his singing and acting career, became a successful businessman, owning vast real estate holdings, a professional baseball team, hotels, radio stations, and a television studio. In 1960, he acquired the Anaheim Angels, which he held until his death. He sold a portion to Walt Disney in 1995, and the remaining team was sold by his widow a year after his death. Gene also sold the KTLA television station for $245 million in 1982. At the time of his death, he was estimated to be worth $320 million, making him one of the 400 richest Americans.

Early Life of Gene Autry

Gene Autry was born in 1907 and grew up in Texas and Oklahoma. He worked on his father’s ranch as a teenager and dropped out of high school to become a telegrapher for a railway company.

Autry had three siblings: Veda, Wilma, and Dudley.

Gene Autry’s Career Highlights

Gene Autry began his singing career on the Tulsa radio station KVOO in 1928 as “Oklahoma’s Yodeling Cowboy.” He signed with Columbia Records the following year and spent four years working on the Chicago WLS-AM radio show “National Barn Dance.” In the early ’30s, he recorded several “hillbilly”-style songs and had his first hit with 1932’s “That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine,” a duet that he wrote and performed with Jimmy Long. Autry made more than 600 recordings and sold over 100 million records, including the first-ever record to be certified Gold. Several of his singles reached #1 on the “Billboard” country chart, including “I’m Beginning To Care,” “Were You Sincere,” “You Are My Sunshine,” and “Deep in the Heart of Texas.”

Gene Autry’s Career in Film and Television

Film producer Nat Levine discovered Gene Autry and singer-songwriter Smiley Burnette in 1934, and later that year, they starred in the film “In Old Santa Fe.” Autry went on to appear in 44 more films, usually playing himself and riding his horse Champion. He served in World War II before returning to Republic Pictures Corp. and starring in several more films. Autry then left Republic for Columbia Pictures and began starring in films with Pat Buttram. He also formed Flying A Productions and produced his own films and TV series.

Autry had a weekly CBS Radio show, “Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch,” from 1940 to 1956, and from 1950 to 1956, he starred on “The Gene Autry Show,” which aired 91 episodes over five seasons. In 1964, Autry retired from the entertainment business.

Gene Autry’s Personal Life

Gene Autry married Ina Mae Spivey, the niece of his “That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine” duet partner Jimmy Long, on April 1, 1932. During their marriage, Autry had an affair with actress Gail Davis, who played the title role on the “Annie Oakley” TV series he produced.

After Spivey’s death in May 1980, Autry married Jacqueline “Jackie” Ellam on July 19, 1981. They remained married until his death in 1998.

Autry was a lifetime member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and he was a registered Republican as well as a supporter of the Civil Rights Movement.

Death and Legacy

Gene Autry died of lymphoma on October 2, 1998, at the age of 91 at his Studio City home. He was buried at Hollywood Hills Cemetery at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Autry’s headstone reads “America’s Favorite Cowboy … American Hero, Philanthropist, Patriot and Veteran, Movie Star, Singer, Composer, Baseball Fan and Owner, 33rd Degree Mason, Media Entrepreneur, Loving Husband, Gentleman.”

Gene Autry’s Awards and Honors

Gene Autry received numerous awards and honors throughout his career. In 1942, he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Music, Original Song. He also received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.

Autry won a Special Award of Merit at the 1987 ICG Publicists Awards and a Golden Boot at the Golden Boot Awards in 1983. He also earned a Founder’s Award at the Golden Boot Awards in 1995.

Autry received five stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into several halls of fame, including the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center’s Hall of Great Western Performers, ProRodeo Hall of Fame, Texas Trail of Fame, and Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame.

In 1977, Autry was awarded the American Patriots Medal by the Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and he received the American Academy of Achievement’s Golden Plate Award in 1983. He also has several streets and interchanges named in his honor.

Autry was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and National Radio Hall of Fame, and he was a charter member of Richmond, Indiana’s Gennett Records Walk of Fame.

Gene Autry’s Former Palm Springs Home Sells for $7 Million

In 1997, Gene and Jackie Autry purchased a 13,500 square foot home in Palm Springs for $2.05 million. The property features five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a three-car garage with an attached apartment, an outdoor kitchen, and a tennis court. After putting the home on the market for $8.25 million in early 2020, it sold for $7 million in April of that year. Today, the property is worth over $11 million.

Take a video tour of the stunning property to see what made it so desirable:

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