As one of the most talked-about figures, Natalie Cole has built a significant fortune. In this article, we dive deep into the assets and career highlights.

What Was Natalie Cole's Net Worth?

(Photo by Carlos R. Alvarez/WireImage)

Nat King Cole left behind an estate valued at $3.5 million in 1965. That's the same as around $30 million in today's dollars. Unfortunately, due to poor estate planning, after estate taxes and various other costs, his family ended up receiving just $1 million. That's equal to $7 million in today's dollars.

Natalie Cole was born on February 6, 1950, in Los Angeles, California, at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital. She is the daughter of the late jazz legendNat King Cole. Her mother, Maria Cole, was a former Duke Ellington Orchestra singer. Natalie sang on her father's Christmas album at the age of six and started performing solo at age 11. She attended Northfield School for Girls in New England before her father died of lung cancer in February 1965. She was 15 years old when her father died.

After she graduated, Cole began singing at small clubs with her band, Black Magic. Clubs initially welcomed her with open arms because of her relation to Nat King Cole, but club owners were often disappointed when she sang cover versions of R&B and rock songs. She got together with Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy, a songwriting and producing duo, and recorded some songs in a Chicago studio owned byCurtis Mayfield. Her demo tapes led to a recording contract with Capitol Records and resulted in the release of her first album, "Inseparable," which included the hit songs "This Will Be" and "I Can't Say No." The album was an instant success and "This Will Be" became a top ten hit and won Cole a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Natalie also picked up Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards, making her the first African-American artist to obtain the honor. The media instantly took to calling Cole the "newAretha Franklin," which provoked a rivalry between the two singers. The feud boiled over when Natalie beat Franklin at the Grammys in the same category Aretha had won eight times before losing to Cole.

She then began experiencing a strained relationship with her mother and enrolled in the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she graduated in 1972 with a major in Child Psychology and a minor in German.

Natalie is one of the more high-profile celebrities who declared bankruptcy at what many people assumed was the peak of her career. Cole filed for bankruptcy in 1997, citing her out-of-control spending habits and the fact that she owed millions in royalties to her father's estate for their duet album.

Natalie Cole was an American singer, songwriter, and performer who had a net worth of $5 million at the time of her death in 2015. Natalie Cole is probably best known as an R&B artist with hits like "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)," "Inseparable," and "Our Love."

Ultimately, Natalie Cole's financial journey is a testament to their success.

Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.