When it comes to emo persona, which person will come up to your mind? The right answer is Gerad Way.
My Chemical Romance is credited with bringing emo and punk music into the mainstream at the turn of the millennium. As a child, Way was introverted and spent his time sketching and listening to bands like Iron Maiden, the Smiths, the Cure, the Misfits, and Queen.
It wasn’t until the 9/11 attacks that Way was motivated to do something important with his life. He witnessed the collapse of the World Trade Towers from his office window and wrote the song Skylines and Turnstiles about the events.
Way recruited his high school friend Matt Pelissier on drums and other musicians to form My Chemical Romance. Within three months of forming, they recorded their first album and released it in 2002. Looking at his career, Way has gained a mass amount of success, so his net worth has to be hefty right?
| Net Worth | $20 Million |
| Born | Apr 9, 1977 |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.75 m) |
| Country | USA |
| Source of Wealth | Professional Musician |
| Music Band | My Chemical Romance |
Gerard Way’s Early Life and Music Career
Way was born in Summit, NJ in 1977 and grew up in Belleville with his brother. He first began singing in the fourth grade when he was cast in the role of Peter Pan in a school musical. He was also heavily influenced by the glam metal band Bon Jovi, as well as musician and singer Bruce Springsteen.
Way attended Belleville High School. He spent much of his time playing music and also working on developing comic books and decided to pursue a career in the comic book industry and enrolled at the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 1995
Gerard Way had a stint in various musical ensembles during his high school days, but eventually set his sights on a vocation in the arts. However, it was not until he secured an apprenticeship at Cartoon Network in 2001 that he experienced the creative spark to generate music.
The September 11th terrorist attacks had a profound effect on Way, and he channeled his emotions into his very first composition, entitled “Skylines and Turnstiles.”
Subsequently, the formation of My Chemical Romance took place, with Way collaborating with Matt Pelissier on percussion, Roy Toro on guitar, and his own sibling Mikey on bass guitar. Frank Iero, the guitarist, joined the group right before the launch of their debut album, “I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love,” in 2002. The record achieved modest success and the ensemble secured a contract with Reprise Records the following year.
Their second album, “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge,” was released in 2004 and they began touring extensively. They opened for Green Day on their “American Idiot” tour and joined the Warped Tour in 2005.
In 2006, they released “Life on the Murder Scene,” which comprised a CD and two DVDs containing behind-the-scenes footage and live performances.
“The Black Parade,” their next album, was produced by Rob Cavello and released in 2006. The single “Welcome to the Black Parade” reached the summit of the charts, and the album debuted at number two on both the US Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart.
The band toured extensively in support of the album, and it achieved Triple Platinum status in both countries. In 2010, the band released their final album and then announced their disbandment in 2013.
Following the split, Way directed his attention to solo projects. He published his first solo album, “Hesitant Alien,” in 2014, and has since performed at various music festivals. He often collaborates with his sibling Mikey and performs under the moniker Gerard Way and The Hormones. In 2020, he penned an original melody featuring vocalist Judith Hill for the second season of “The Umbrella Academy.”
Gerard Way Comic Book Career
Gerard Way, the musician and comic book enthusiast, has led a life of creative pursuits. In 2001, he pitched a cartoon he co-created called “The Breakfast Monkey” to Cartoon Network, but unfortunately, it was rejected. However, he persisted in his comic book endeavors and finally made his directorial debut on the television show “The Aquabats! Super Show!” in 2013.
He co-directed and co-wrote the season two finale of the series, which was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Children’s Series. Moreover, in 2013, he released “The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys,” a limited comic book series.
Way’s creativity didn’t stop there. In 2018, one of the characters he co-created, Peni Parker, appeared in the animated movie “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” He has also been the executive producer of the television series adaptation of his comic book series, “The Umbrella Academy,” since 2019. This series won the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award, which is a prestigious recognition in the comic book world.
Gerard Way Personal Life
During the initial phase of My Chemical Romance’s music career, Way struggled with addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs. Nevertheless, he was able to overcome his addiction by 2007 and has since talked about having a much better relationship with alcohol.
In September 2007, Way tied the knot with Lyn-Z, the bassist of the band Mindless Self Indulgence. The wedding ceremony was held backstage after a concert in Colorado and was performed by a staff member who happened to be an ordained minister. The couple welcomed a daughter named Bandit in May 2009.
Way has talked openly about his gender identity issues in several interviews, revealing that he has never identified with typical masculine characteristics. In 2015, he explained that he prefers to use the pronouns he/they.
What is Gerard Way Net Worth?
With all the success he has gained in his career, and after being the face of the emo genre, we can probably assume that way big made big racks. And you are absolutely correct!
Not only Way was a talented individual in the world of music but he was also a talented comic book writer. He surely gained a mass amount through his band Chemical Romance but that’s not his only source of income.
Way has also written the comic series “The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys” and some of our favorite comic books; “The Umbrella Academy” which later won the Eisner Award. It officially states that Way has a net worth of over $20 million.
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