Rubén Blades Highest-Paid Singer in the World

By Carol Kearney
Panama City
Last updated on June 1, 2025

Rubén Blades led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid singers” released on Saturday.

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It's been a rough year for the singer, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 76-year-old Rubén Blades has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid singers for 2025 with an estimated $46 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 01/06/2025 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Rubén Blades tops annual list of highest-paid singers

In 2022 it looked like the singer’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Saturday (May 31) that Blades is the highest-paid singer in the world, pulling in an astonishing $46 million between May 2024 and May 2025, a nearly $20 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 Panamanian singer-songwriter-actor has an estimated net worth of $145 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 Blades Burger” chain) in Panama City, a Football Team (the “Panama City Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderblades - Panama), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Rubén) and a fashion line called “Rubén Blades Seduction”.

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