Michael Stanley Net Worth $2 Million

What was Michael Stanley’s net worth at the time of his death?

Michael Stanley was a Cleveland rocker and radio and TV personality who had a net worth of $2 million at the time of his death. He’s also the founder of the Michael Stanley Band.

He was born on March 25, 1948, in Origin Cleveland, Ohio, as Michael Stanley Gee.

His father was a local radio personality.

He grew up in the suburban Rocky River on the West Side.

Stanley went to Rocky River High School. During high school, Michael played basketball and baseball.

After high school, Stanley got his degree in Sociology and Comparative Religion from Hiram College.

Tree Stumps

In his sophomore year, Michael joined the Tree Stumps. Later, The Tree Stumps were renamed Silk.

In 1969, the band released an album titled – “Smooth As Raw Silk.”

Stanley started out as a solo artist in 1973. In the same year, Michael released his debut solo self-entitled album. It featured Joe Vitale, Rick Derringer, Todd Rundgren, and Joe Walsh.

“I quit Silk because I wanted to become James Taylor,” Michael told David Spero.

“Friends and Legends,” his second album, was released in 1973. It was produced by Bill Szymczyk.

The album featured Richie Furay, Dan Fogelberg, David Sanborn, Al Perkins, Joe Lala, Paul Harris, Kenny Passarelli, Joe Vitale, and Joe Walsh.

He Formed His Own Band – MSB

He formed the Michael Stanley Band (nicknamed MSB by their fans) in 1974 with Tommy Dobeck, Jonah Koslen, and Daniel Pecchio.

Other artists that were part of the MSB included Danny Powers, Rick Bell, Michael Gismondi, Kevin Raleigh, Gary Markasky, and Bob Pelander.

In 1975, MSB released their debut album – “You Break It…You Bought It!”

It was followed by “Ladies’ Choice” in 1976, “Stagepass” in 1977, and “Cabin Fever” in 1978.

The album, “Heartland” (1980), stayed in the #100 for more than eight weeks.

The Michael Stanley Band ended in 1987.

After the breakup of the MSB, Michael continued to write songs and perform with bands, including Midlife Chryslers, the Resonators, and the Ghost Poets.

“It would depend on the mood,” Stanley revealed in an interview in 1991 about his inspiration to write songs. “Some days, I couldn’t write a ballad even if you gave me a million dollars. I could only write rockers in other days … most of my songs are pretty depressing.”

From 1991 to 2021, Michael worked as a rock & roll DJ on Cleveland radio station WNCX.

Health Issues

In 1991, Michael suffered a heart attack.

In 2017, Stanley was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Later that year, he underwent a quadruple bypass surgery.

Awards

In May 2019, the Cleveland musician was the recipient of the Cleveland Arts Prize Lifetime Achievement Award.

In June 2019, he was honored with a street name, Michael Stanley Way.

Wife

Michael Stanley got married to Libby Hill Blake in 1970. The two divorced in 1990.

His second wife was Mary McCrone, the daughter of the late Judge William J. McCrone. Mary won a national riding trophy as well as several Emmy awards. In addition, she was active in the Frontline Foundation. Stanley and McCrone divorced around 2002. Mary McCrone passed away in December 2009.

In 2002, Michael married Denise Skinner, a former marketing executive at Capitol Records. In 2011, Stanley lost his wife, Denise — about five months after she was diagnosed with cancer. “She was a loving, caring, partner who brought me only joy,” Stanley later wrote on his website.

In 2017, Stanley married Ilsa Glanzberg. They were together until his death.

Children

With his first wife, Michael Stanley has twin daughters — Anna and Sarah (b. in 1974), and five grandchildren — Phoebe Sary, Wren Sary, Brody Kraus, Aidan Kraus, and Mallory Sidoti (Mike).

Death

On March 5, 2021, Michael Stanley passed away in his sleep following a months-long fight with lung cancer. 

He was 72 years old.

The funeral took place in a private ceremony in Cleveland at Lake View Cemetery. 

His daughter, Anna Sary, said in a press release — “our dad was personally affected by cancer.”

Following his death, several tribute concerts were held in his name.

A part of every ticket sold was donated to the 10,000 Watts of Holy Light Fund.

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Net Worth

So, how much was Michael Stanley worth at the time of his death?

Stanley accrued most of his wealth from founding The Michael Stanley Band as well as from his solo career. 

The Michael Stanley Band released many albums, including – Inside Moves, North Coast, and Cabin Fever. The band was extremely popular in rock-heavy Cleveland.

The MSB set several attendance records. For instance, the band had a total attendance of over 74K during several nights at Blossom Music Center.

“People always say, ‘I can’t believe you guys sold-out so many concerts,’” Stanley said in 2018.

Stanley worked as a disc jockey at WNCX. He also won 11 local Emmy Awards.

Therefore, at the time of his death, Michael Stanley had an estimated net worth of $2 million.

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