| Celebrated Name: | Merle Haggard |
|---|---|
| Real Name/Full Name: | Merle Ronald Haggard |
| Gender: | Male |
| Age at the time of death: | 79 years old |
| Birth Date: | 6 April 1937 |
| Date of Death: | 6 April 2016 |
| Birth Place: | Oildale, California, United States |
| Nationality: | American |
| Height: | 1.75 m |
| Weight: | N/A |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Wife/Spouse (Name): | Theresa Ann Lane (m. 1993–2016), Debbie Parret (m. 1985–1991), Leona Williams (m. 1978–1983), Bonnie Owens (m. 1965–1978), Leona Hobbs (m. 1956–1964) |
| Children: | Yes (Ben Haggard, Marty Haggard, Noel Haggard, Jenessa Haggard, Dana Haggard, Kelli Haggard) |
| Dating/Girlfriend (Name): |
N/A |
| Profession: | Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist, and Fiddler |
| Net Worth in 2024: | $40 million |
| Last Updated: | December 2024 |
Merle Haggard was an exceptionally popularized singer, instrumentalist, and songwriter from America. He was reputed to be the most successful music composer of his time, especially between the 1960s and 1980s, when he had the maximum number in his career.
His songs were intently focused on issues faced by the working class of that time due to the anti-Vietnam wars that prevailed during the era. After giving such a golden part of his life to music, he breathed his last on April 6, 2016.
Maybe you know about Merle Haggard very well But do you know how old was he at the time of his death and what is his net worth in 2024? If you do not know, We have prepared this article about details of Merle Haggard’s short biography-wiki, career, professional life, personal life, today’s net worth, age, height, weight, and more facts. Well, if you’re ready, let’s start.
Early Life
Merle Haggard was born on April 6, 1937, in Oildale. After the death of his father in 1945, Haggard became deeply traumatized, which affected him for the long term of his childhood. Growing uncontrollably rebellious, he was sent to numerous juvenile detention centers multiple times to reform him, but it only turned to worse.
His music career officially kick-started around 1956, when he was given an opportunity to star in a local TV show called Chuck Wagon. It was only in 1972; his fame began to spread throughout the country, after which the governor of California granted a full pardon to all of his past crimes.
Age, Height, and Weight
Being born on 6 April 1937, Merle Haggard was 79 years old at the time of his death. His height was 1.75 m tall and weighed N/A.
Career
The early days of his career weren’t too glorifying or successful. He gradually started singing and making albums for Tally Records, which did not have much of a reach as expected. In 1966, his first-ever single unexpectedly became a national hit, after which his first national top-10 record initiated his music career commercially among the people. By 1970, Haggard was one of the most famous country singers in the world.
In 1972, Capital Cities TV Productions produced a semi-autobiographical music video of Haggard, which further expanded his fame on an international scale. Between 1981 and 1985, nine out of the twelve songs that Haggard released were unequivocally welcomed and even reached number one positions throughout the years.
His divorce with his third wife deeply affected him, which turned him into a raging alcoholic. Surprisingly, he was able to recover soon enough to win the Grammy Award in 1984 for the Best Male Vocal Performance in one of his remakes.
Even in the latter part of his career, Haggard proved to remain fighting against the system and the government by releasing controversial songs that were officially banned by the CBS Records in Nashville. Even his most relatively recent releases in 2008 and 2010 turned out to emerge uproariously successful, despite his health struggles in the middle.
Awards & Achievements
Throughout his career, Haggard has received numerous awards from various Music Academies for his collaborations and for his singles. His earliest honors include himself getting inducted into Nashville Hall of Fame and Country Music Hall of Fame in 1977 and 1994. He was prestigiously offered the Kennedy Centre Honor in 2010 for his ‘outstanding contribution to American culture.’
In 2013, Haggard was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts by California State University. In 2015, the house which sheltered Haggard’s family for so long was moved to the Kern County Museum for historic preservation and restoration.
Net Worth & Salary of Merle Haggard in 2024
As of December 2024, the net worth of Merle Haggard was $40 million, the year of his passing. Sources have estimated and calculated that the entire $40 million had been made from his career in music. Commercially, his albums had an extremely wide reach, which brought him most of his income in addition to numerous music shows and his appearances in various other shows.
Though his career actually had a hopeless and discouraging start, Haggard knew what his passion was. Despite all those hardships and losses, he came back to share with the world an acknowledgeable part of his soul, and inspire more and more lives along the way