Lesley Sue Goldstein, better known by her stage name Lesley Gore, was born on 2 May 1946, in Brooklyn, New York City, USA, to Ronnie and Leo Goldstein, of Jewish descent. She was a singer, songwriter, actress, and activist, probably best known for her hits “It’s My Party” and “You Don’t Own Me”. She passed away in 2015.
A talented artist, how wealthy was Lesley Gore? Sources state that Gore had acquired a net worth of over $5 million. The main source of her fortune had been her involvement in the entertainment industry, from her debut in the early ‘60s.
Lesley Gore Net Worth $5 Million
Gore grew up in Tenafly, New Jersey, along with her brother. She attended Dwight School for Girls in Englewood, NJ, and later enrolled at Sarah Lawrence College, in Yonkers, New York, to study British and American literature, graduating in 1968.
In 1963, during her junior year at high school, Gore was discovered by the legendary music producer Quincy Jones, who signed her to Mercury Records and produced her first song and the biggest hit of her career, “It’s My Party”. The single became an immediate success, reaching the top of the charts and selling over a million copies. It went gold and received a Grammy nomination for rock n’ roll recording. Gore became an instant star, and her wealth began to grow.
Later that year, she released her first album under Mercury, entitled “I’ll Cry If I Want To”, reaching #24 on the U.S. albums chart. Aside from “It’s My Party”, the album spawned another hit, “Judy’s Turn to Cry”, which reached #5 on the charts. Over the next two years, Gore released three more albums, containing a number of hit singles, such as “She’s a Fool”, “That’s the Way Boys Are”, “Maybe I Know”, “Look of Love”, “Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows” – nominated for a Grammy- and “You Don’t Own Me”, the latter song holding #2 for weeks, being surpassed only by The Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand”. All contributed to her rising popularity, and to her net worth as well.
The singer expanded her range into the film industry in 1965, appearing in “The Girls on the Beach” and “Ski Party”, performing several of her songs. Two years later, she appeared in the series “Batman”, with the recurring role of the Catwoman’s Pussycat minion. She went on to make appearances in numerous television variety shows.
By the end of the ’60s, Gore had released several more albums, and scored Top 40 hits with singles “My Town, My Guy and Me” and “California Nights”. All contributed to her net worth.
During the next decade, Gore pursued a songwriting career, which was reflected in her next album, “Some Place Else Now”, under new label, MoWest Records. She went on to release another album during the ’70, entitled “Love Me By Name”.
In 1980 she composed songs for the soundtrack of the musical drama film “Fame”, earning an Academy Award nomination for the single “Out Here on My Own”. Her album “The Canvas Can Do Miracles” came out two years later.
In the following years Gore played many concerts and undertook numerous tours. In 2004, she served as the host of the PBS LGBT television news magazine entitled “In the Life”, which was the longest running LGBT television program in history. The following year she released her last album entitled “Ever Since”, produced by Blake Morgan through his label, Engine Company Records. The album received critical acclaim, and was featured on the soundtracks of popular television shows “CSI: Miami” and “The L Word”, and in the film “Flannel Pajamas”, significantly improving Gore’s net worth.
In 2015 she worked on a memoir and a Broadway show based on her life. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a chance to finish it, as Lesley Gore died in early 2015 of lung cancer, at the age of 68.
When it comes to her private life, during her hosting of the “In the Life” program, Gore outed herself as being a lesbian. She had been in a relationship with luxury jewelry designer Lois Sasson since 1982.
