In a throwback to an era that we all hoped rap music had moved away from, singer, rapper and songwriter XXXTentacion died in a shooting in South Florida in June. He was only 20 years old. He may have only been at the start of his career, but he was already a big deal both on the stage and in the newspapers. His album "?", released in March, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Away from the stage, he was facing mounting legal problems, not least battery of his pregnant girlfriend.
XXXTentacion seemed to know that the end of his life was a possibility. In a video he posted on Instagram very shortly before he was gunned down, he spoke of how he'd like to be remembered if he died a tragic death, and what influence he'd like to have on young people who were touched by his music. Specifically, he spoke of wanting them to "take his message and turn it into something positive".
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.