If the name isn't immediately familiar to you, it's probably down to the generation you were born in. Herb Alpert started off his career as a musician - he had trumpet lessons as a young child, and then performed the trumpet during his military service. After leaving the army, he started writing and producing jazz songs in the late 1950s. His album 'Whipped Cream and Other Delights' was a number one smash hit, and for a short while he was selling more records than the Beatles.
It was his record label that really brought the money in. Formed in 1962 with his friend Jerry Moss, A&M records grew slowly and steadily, and in the 80s made smart investments by signing Janet Jackson and Sheryl Crow early on in their careers. Eventually, PolyGram bought them out for $500m in 1989, and Alpert could have retired there and then. The fact that he didn't is just because he loves playing so much.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.