Beloved musician Sting — real name Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner — has amassed more than half a billion dollars throughout his decades-long career. However, the “Every Breath You Take” artist does not plan on leaving the fortune to his children.
Why Sting Won’t Leave His Children His Fortune
Former “The Voice” star Sting opened up about his decision not to leave his six children his fortune.
“I think the worst thing you can do to a kid is to say, ‘You don’t have to work,'” the artist told journalist Mark Phillips during a recent interview for “CBS News Sunday Morning.” “I think that’s a form of abuse that I hope I’m never guilty of.”
He continued, “All of my kids have been blessed with this extraordinary work ethic, whether it’s the DNA of it or whether I’ve said to them, ‘Guys, you got to work. I’m spending our month, you know. I’m paying for your education. You’ve got shoes on your feet. Go to work.'”
The “You Were Meant for Me” rocker is the father of six children. He shares his eldest children, son Joe and daughter Fuschia, with ex-wife Frances Tomelty. Sting would later marry Trudie Styler, and the pair would go on to welcome four more children: Mickey, Jake, Eliot, and Giacomo.
He added during his chat with Phillips, “That’s not cruel. I think that there’s a kindness there and a trust in them that they will make their own way. They’re tough, my kids.”
Sting Talks Fatherhood
During a 2020 interview with People, the iconic artist revealed he “never intended to be a dad.”
“I became a dad by accident six times — that’s how smart I am. Yet they were the happiest accidents of my life because they’re remarkable human beings,” he said at the time. “I can’t really take much credit for that, but they are, and they, too, have produced seven grandchildren at this point, who are also wonderful,. So all of this has happened by accident. I didn’t intend to be the patriarch of a tribe, but I am.”
He hinted at not dividing up his fortune amongst his children, explaining that each is “fiercely independent.”
“They’re not sitting there waiting for a handout at all, and I wouldn’t want to rob them of that adventure in life: to make your own living,” Sting told People. “It’s a wonderful and difficult thing to do. So I haven’t promised them anything. I’ll obviously help them if they’re in trouble, but they’re not waiting for a handout. They’re too independent.”
In addition to not intending to be a father, Sting told Phillips he didn’t set out to be a rock star.
“I just wanted a larger life than than the one that seemed to be on offer,” he said of his humble upbringing. “And for me, getting an education was important. I won a scholarship to a grammar school and I suppose the idea was that you’d become a gentleman. I mean that was only half achieved but it did give me a a sense of a bigger world which I’m grateful for.”
Despite finding great success with no signs of slowing down, the artist added, “I’ve had more than enough success, and affirmation, and praise, and awards. I don’t actually need any more. It’s lovely, but it’s not something I particularly think about.”
