Donald Gould Net Worth – $20,000
What is Donald Gould’s net worth? Is Donald Gould still alive?
Introduction
Donald Gould, also known as the “homeless piano man,” is an American military veteran turned composer and musician.
Gould spent a number of years on the streets following his military service, and was discovered by the music industry after a particularly stirring rendition of Styx’s “Come Sail Away” in Sarasota, Florida.
Passersby caught this 2015 performance on camera, and music lovers the world over were captivated by such an astonishing display of musical prowess and technical wizardry from a man who had clearly seen better days.
The Origin Story
Originally hailing from Michigan, Gould displayed musical prowess from a young age, demonstrating a particular affinity for the clarinet.
Gould later became a marine in the United States Marine Corps (USMC); during this time, he was a member of the Corps band.
Following the completion of his tour, Gould was a student of music theory at Spring Arbor University, Michigan.
Unfortunately, he ran into financial difficulties, and was forced to drop out before graduating.
Tragedy And Homelessness
Gould’s wife tragically died by suicide in 1998.
To further compound this, his son was removed from his custody by the authorities.
Unable to cope with such a slew of personal setbacks, Gould turned to drugs and lost what little he had left, ending up on the streets.
Falling through the cracks in the US’s unforgiving social security nets, Gould fell into a hole that he wouldn’t be able to crawl out of for the next 15 years.
Discovery And Going Viral
It wasn’t until 2015 that Gould got a much-needed second chance.
After discovering a piano outside a café, Gould astonished pedestrians with a deft and accomplished rendition of Come Sail Away that sat in stark contrast with his disheveled appearance.
The video of his performance was quickly uploaded to YouTube, where it went viral. The video sits today at around 45,000,000 views.
“It’s kind of surreal,” Gould said in an interview with ABC7 Sarasota in 2016. “Too much part of that I was this homeless guy on the streets, and next thing you know, I’m in a national spotlight, world spotlight.”
A GoFundMe was set up for the homeless maestro, and it quickly hit $40,000.
This was the break that Donald Gould needed – the lifeline that would pull him out of the 15-year purgatory that had trapped him.
Rehabilitation And Redemption
Shortly after the video went viral, Gould appeared on the TV show Inside Edition and received a full makeover.
The aforementioned GoFundMe was set up at this time, and Spring Arbor University invited Gold to return to the university and complete his studies.
Gould was invited to perform at several major events, including opening for the San Francisco 49ers and performing the Star-Spangled Banner in front of an audience of 75,000.
“While I’m performing, there’s a crowd noise, and there are fireworks going off, and I got earbuds in my ears, but I couldn’t hear a thing what I was playing while I was actually playing at the time, so I’m just hitting the keys on the keyboard and hoping for the best,” Gould explained about his experience of playing for 75,000 people.
Debut Album
Gould released his debut album – Walk on Water – in 2017.
The album featured Gould’s now-iconic cover of Come Sail Away, as well as original compositions from Gould himself.
Gould’s return to grace came full circle when he reestablished contact with his long-lost son, Donny, who had long given up for adoption.
Though those 15 years can never be regained, Donald Gould has nevertheless been given a much-needed second chance after no small amount of hardship.
Donald Gould – Net Worth
So, how much is Donald Gould worth? Gould earned most of his wealth from his music, donations via GoFundMe, and shows. Therefore, Donald Gould has an estimated net worth of $20,000.
Is Donald Gould still alive?
Donald Gould, also known as the Homeless Piano Man, is still alive and well. You can connect with Gould through his website (donaldgouldmusic.com/contact) and Facebook. The last video that Donald published on YouTube (May Angels be With You”) was published in July 2022.
In November 2022, Monte Robison wrote on Facebook that Gould was arrested for a minor drug possession offense and, at the time, he was in Sarasota County jail.
In February 2023, Gould was filmed playing the piano on the streets of downtown Sarasota.
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