What was Malcolm Young's Net Worth?
Malcolm Young was a Scottish-born Australian guitarist who had a net worth of $100 million at the time of his death in 2017. Malcolm Young was best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and backing vocalist of the Australian rock band AC/DC. Excepting a brief absence in 1988, he was with the band from its inception in 1973 until his retirement in 2014 due to early-onset dementia. Young passed away in late 2017 from complications from the illness.
Malcolm Young founded AC/DC in November 1973 when he was just 20 years old. He soon asked his 18 year old brother Angus to join the group as well. As the rhythm guitarist, Malcolm was responsible for the broad sweep of the band's sound, developing many of the band's guitar riffs and co-writing the band's material with Angus. They began national touring in 1974 with singer Dave Evans. AC/DC relocated to the UK in 1976 and began a heavy schedule of international touring and recording. After the death of lead singer Bon Scott in 1980, they recorded their biggest selling album, "Back in Black" with singer Brian Johnson.
AC/DC would go on to sell more than 200 million albums and would tour packed stadiums regularly around the world. Malcolm remained with the band from its November 1973 inception to roughly 2014, minus a brief absence in 1988. In 2003, Young and the other members of AC/DC were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, late in life Malcolm developed dementia and had to stop performing with the band. He ultimately died on November 18, 2017 at the age of 64. He was survived by his wife Linda Young and their two children, Cara and Ross.
Early Life
Malcolm Young was born on January 6, 1953 in Glasgow, Scotland to Margaret and William. He was one of several siblings, including Stephen, George, Margaret, William Jr., Alex, John, and Angus. In 1963, following one of the worst winters in Scottish history, 15 members of the Young family left Scotland for the warmer climes of Australia. There, the family eventually settled into a semi-detached house in the Sydney suburb of Burwood.
Start of Music Career
Young's first major band was Marcus Hook Roll Band, formed by his brother George and his music partner Harry Vanda. Also in the band was brother Angus. Marcus Hook Roll Band released its first and only studio album, "Tales of Old Grand-Daddy," in 1973. The following year, Young played guitar on Stevie Wright's song "Evie," which was written and produced by George Young and Vanda.
AC/DC
In 1973, Young and his brother Angus formed the rock band AC/DC; he took on rhythm guitar duties while his brother became the lead guitarist. The brothers were soon joined by drummer Colin Burgess, bass guitarist Larry Van Kriedt, and vocalist Dave Evans. AC/DC went through a number of lineup changes before releasing its debut album, "High Voltage," in Australia in 1975. That was followed by "T.N.T." later that year. In 1976, AC/DC released an international version of "High Voltage," and also put out "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" in Australia and Europe. The band's subsequent albums were "Let There Be Rock" and "Powerage," the latter of which was the first to feature bass guitarist Cliff Williams. AC/DC had its big breakthrough in 1979 with "Highway to Hell," which was the group's first album to enter the Billboard 200 in the United States. Tragically, it was also the last to feature vocalist Bon Scott, who died of alcohol poisoning in early 1980. With Brian Johnson as the new frontman, AC/DC released "Back in Black" in the summer of 1980. That album launched the band into the stratosphere of stardom, eventually becoming the second-bestselling album of all time. AC/DC continued its success with 1981's "For Those About to Rock," which was its first album to hit number one in the US.
Malcolm Young of AC/DC, portrait, Germany, 1995. (Photo by Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images)
Following the massive successes of "Back in Black" and "For Those About to Rock," AC/DC had a relative commercial disappointment with "Flick of the Switch," released in 1983. That album was followed by 1985's "Fly on the Wall" and 1988's "Blow Up Your Video." AC/DC experienced a major commercial comeback in the early 1990s with the album "The Razors Edge," which spawned the hit singles "Thunderstruck" and "Are You Ready." Five years after that, the band released "Ballbreaker," which saw the return of drummer Phil Rudd. Following another five-year break, AC/DC released the album "Stiff Upper Lip," the last one to be produced by George Young. Another, even longer break ensued, ending with the release of AC/DC's 15th studio album, "Black Ice," in 2008. The second-bestselling album of the year, it became the band's biggest chart hit since "For Those About to Rock" 27 years earlier. It was also the last AC/DC album to feature Malcolm Young, as he retired in 2014 due to early-onset dementia.
Illness and Death
At the end of AC/DC's Black Ice World Tour in 2010, Young was diagnosed with lung cancer. Treatment was successful and the cancer was removed. Later, in the spring of 2014, Young became severely ill and had to stop performing; he retired from AC/DC later in the year and was replaced by his nephew Stevie. It was reported at this time that he had been diagnosed with early-onset dementia and was in a nursing home to receive full-time care. Young passed away from the illness in November of 2017 at the age of 64. His older brother George died a few weeks earlier. Numerous tributes poured in from some of the biggest names in rock music, including Ozzy Osbourne, Eddie Van Halen, Alice Cooper, and Billy Idol.
