How Kat Von D Achieved a Net Worth of $20 Million
Kat Von D is a tattoo artist turned music artist, television personality, model, and entrepreneur. Her work as a tattoo artist was what first put her into the limelight, and she has gone on to enjoy success in various industries. Now, Kat Von D’s net worth is $20 million, and here is a look at how she accrued her wealth.
Von D’s Early Life
Katherine Von Drachenberg, known professionally as Kat Von D, was born in Montemorelos, Mexico, on March 8, 1982. Her German Argentine parents were Seventh-day Adventist Church missionaries. She has a brother and a sister. When Von D was four, the family moved to the Inland Empire in California. Von D showed musical talent from a young age and took piano lessons from the age of six. According to Von D, one of her main inspirations for art and music growing up was her grandmother, Clare Von Drachenberg. She also said the culture of San Bernardino that she experienced growing up influenced her future style and tattoo art. When she was 12, Kat Von D got into the punk rock scene, listening to bands such as Misfits and Ramones. At the age of 14, she got her first tattoo. A year later, after suffering from mental health issues, Von D spent six months at the Provo Canyon School, which is a psychiatric youth residential center, and says she suffered abuse during her time there. At the age of 16, Kat Von D quit school to pursue a career as a tattoo artist.
Her Television Career
Kat Von D first came to the public’s attention when she featured in the first two seasons of the reality TV show ‘Miami Ink’, which was filmed at 305 ink in Miami and was aired on TLC. She started appearing in the show as a replacement for Darren Bass, who had broken his elbow and was unable to tattoo. Von D left the show after two seasons when she fell out with fellow tattoo artist Ami James. Despite leaving the show, Kat Von D’s time as a television personality was not over because she then landed her own TLC series, ‘LA Ink.’ By this time, Von D had her own tattoo shop, High Voltage Tattoo, where the series was filmed. One of Von D’s accomplishments that was filmed for the series was her breaking the Guinness World Record for the most tattoos on a single person in 24 hours. The series ran for four seasons, and then Von D decided not to continue with the series.
Von D’s Music Career
Von D’s first foray into the music industry was providing female vocals for the Finish gothic band The 69 Eyes’ song ‘Rosary Blue’ in 2012. She then recorded vocals for Prayers, an electronic duo, on their single ‘Black Leather’ in 2016. She also appeared in the music video for the song. Recently, Kat Von D began a career as a solo artist. She released her first single, ‘Exorcism,’ in May 2021. She has announced that she is also releasing her debut album ‘Love Made Me Do It,’ which features her single.
Other Ventures
Something that people may not know about Kat Von D is that she has published two books. Her first was ‘High Voltage Tattoo’ in 2009, which was a compilation of her tattoos and artwork. The second book, ‘The Tattoo Chronicles,’ was published in 2010. It is an illustrated diary that follows a year in Kat Von D’s life. Other than her tattoo shop, Kat Von D has several other business ventures. One of her ventures was a makeup line for Sephora, which also included fragrances. She first began creating the products in 2008. Since 2016, all the products have been vegan. She sold her makeup brand to Kendo Brands in 2020, and it was renamed KVD Vegan Beauty. In 2008, Kat Von D founded the Musink Tattoo Convention and Music Festival. The event takes place annually in Southern California. Two years later, the artist opened an art gallery next door to her tattoo studio. The following year, she launched the clothing lines Kat Von D Los Angeles and KVD Los Angeles. Initially, both lines were only available in Canada and the United States. However, Kat Von D Los Angeles clothing went international in 2011.
Kat Von D’s Net Worth
Kat Von D’s success across several industries has led to her becoming a wealthy woman. According to Wealthy Gorilla, Kat Von D’s net worth is now $20 million. Although she made some of her money as a tattoo artist, she has made most of her money through becoming a music artist and television personality. She has also made some money as a model and from the success of her business ventures.
Her Personal Life
In her personal life, Kat Von D has been married twice and has several long-term relationships, some of which have resulted in broken engagements. Her first husband was fellow tattoo artist Oliver Peck. The couple married in 2003 but separated in 2007, finalizing their divorce in the same year. Von D was then in a relationship with Alex Orbison, also known as Orbi. Orbison is a drummer, writer, director, and film producer. He is president of both Roy’s Boys LLC and the publishing group Still Working Music Group. Von D and Orbi were together from 2007 to 2008, and their relationship was documented on the first season of ‘LA Ink.’ Although they moved in together and Orbi had asked Von D’s father’s permission to marry her, the relationship had ended by season two. Next, Von D dated Nikki Sixx, the Motley Crue bassist, for two years.
After that relationship ended, Von D was in a relationship with Jesse James, a television personality and the CEO of West Coast Choppers. They got engaged in early 2011, then broke up a few months later. However, the separation was short-lived, and the couple got back together later in the same year. Unfortunately, they were only reunited for a month before they split for the final time. In 2012, Von D began dating Joel Zimmerman, a Canadian music producer. They broke up a couple of months later, then reunited and became engaged. Within less than seven months, the engagement was ended, and the couple split. Now, Kat Von D is married to her second husband, Rafael Sayer, an artist, author, and musician. They married on February 21, 2018. Nine months after their wedding, Kat Von D gave birth to their son.
