Richard Z. Kruspe Highest-Paid Guitarist in the World

  • By Carol Kearney
  • Berlin
  • Last updated on

Richard Z. Kruspe
Richard Z. Kruspe led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid guitarists” released on Sunday.

It's been a rough year for the guitarist, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 58-year-old Richard Z. Kruspe has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid guitarists for 2026 with an estimated $75 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 23/03/2026 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Richard Z. Kruspe tops annual list of highest-paid guitarists

In 2023 it looked like the guitarist’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Sunday (March 22) that Kruspe is the highest-paid guitarist in the world, pulling in an astonishing $75 million between February 2025 and February 2026, a nearly $40 million lead over his closest competition.

People With Money’s factors

In compiling this yearly list, the magazine considers factors such as upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.

The German guitarist has an estimated net worth of $215 million. He owes his fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. He also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Kruspe Burger” chain) in Berlin, a Football Team (the “Wittenberge Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderkruspe - Germany), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Richard) and a fashion line called “Richard Z. Kruspe Seduction”.

The ranking is significant for many Richard fans, who have been waiting for his triumphant return to the glory days for what seems like a lifetime.

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