Sting Reaffirms His Kids Will NOT Inherit His Half Billion Dollar Fortune

Over a career spanning five decades, Sting has cemented his status as a true music icon. Between his explosive years fronting The Police and his wildly successful solo career, he has sold over 100 million albums and singles worldwide. His catalog is packed with timeless anthems that have generated hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties, while his massive, globe-trotting tours have consistently brought in staggering windfalls.

To put a cherry on top of it all, in February 2022, Sting cashed in on his life's work in a massive way. The legendary rocker sold his entire songwriting catalog—covering both his time with The Police and his solo efforts—to Universal Music Publishing Group for a cool $300 million. When you put it all together, today, we estimate Sting's net worth at $550 million. That makes him one of the richest musicians on the planet.

But if you think his children are preparing for a massive, life-changing inheritance, think again. Back in a 2014 interview with the Mail on Sunday—when his net worth was about half of what it is today—Sting revealed he had explicitly told his six children not to expect to inherit much money because he doesn't believe in trust funds.

He said at the time:

"I told them there won't be much money left because we are spending it. We have a lot of commitments. What comes in we spend, and there isn't much left. I certainly don't want to leave them trust funds that are albatrosses round their necks. They have to work. All my kids know that and they rarely ask me for anything, which I really respect and appreciate."

That must have been a tough blow for Sting's six kids—two (Joe, 49, and Fuschia, 44) with his ex-wife Frances Tomelty, and four (Mickey, 42, Jake, 40, Eliot, 35, and Giacomo, 30) with his current wife, Trudie Styler. Ranging in age from 30 to 49, they've had to make their own way in the world.

A little over a decade has passed since that interview. And Sting's net worth has doubled. Maybe there's more left to go around to his kids now?

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Well, according to a recent sit-down with CBS News Sunday Morning's Mark Phillips, the answer is a resounding no. The 74-year-old rock star has doubled down on his stance, stating that his philosophy hasn't softened one bit despite his ballooning bank account. In fact, Sting told Phillips that he considers telling children they "don't have to work" to be "a form of abuse that I hope I'm never guilty of."

"I'm spending our money. I'm paying for your education. You've got shoes on your feet. Go to work," Sting explained, praising the fierce independence and work ethic of his brood. "That's not cruel. I think there's a kindness there and a trust in them that they will make their own way. They're tough, my kids."

When asked if they ever show frustration over his tight grip on the family purse strings, the singer quipped, "No, not to my face, they don't." He did clarify, however, that he isn't completely heartless and would absolutely step in and help them financially if they were in genuine trouble. They just aren't "waiting for a handout."

While his kids are busy making their own money, Sting is still actively managing his. He recently had to open his checkbook to settle a financial dispute with his former The Police bandmates, paying out $815,000 in January to drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andy Summers over unpaid streaming royalties.

Even with that payout, Sting's bottom line is doing just fine. He is currently padding his $550 million fortune by promoting the international tour of his stage musical, The Last Ship, which hits New York City's Metropolitan Opera this June. For now, Sting is perfectly content to keep spending his hard-earned millions himself—and leaving his ki