Billy Corgan (born March 17th 1967)
Billy Corgan is the frontman of Chicago rock band The Smashing Pumpkins.
Net worth: Billy Corgan has a net worth of $50 million according to Celebrity Net Worth (2015).
Career: Billy Corgan formed The Smashing Pumpkins with guitarist James Iha in 1987 after they met in a record store. They soon enlisted bassist D'arcy Wretzky after arguing with her at a show and later drummer Jimmy Chamberlin.
They released debut album 'Gish' in 1991, and went multi-platinum with 1993's 'Siamese Dream' featuring the hits 'Today' and 'Disarm'. During this time, Corgan was repeatedly thought of as a control freak over the band's music.
Third album 'Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness' was nominated for seven Grammys, with their song '1979' topping the US chart. In 1996, the band went through a string of difficulties following the drug-induced death of keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin. Chamberlin was dismissed from the band for his heroin problem, and Corgan struggled a lot with personal issues such as his divorce and his mother's death. It was dark times such as these that mellowed out their next album 'Adore' in 1998.
Chamberlin briefly returned to the band, but after their 2000 albums 'Machina/The Machines of God' and 'Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music', they split for the first time.
Corgan played in New Order before teaming up with Chamberlin for a new band named Zwan, featuring Matt Sweeney, David Pajo and Paz Lenchantin. Their debut album 'Mary Star of the Sea' was released in 2002 but they soon split the following year.
In 2004, he went solo with an album entitled 'TheFutureEmbrace', but by 2005, The Smashing Pumpkins had reformed releasing their next album 'Zeitgeist' in 2007. 'Oceania' came in 2012, followed by 2014's 'Monuments to an Elegy'.
Other achievements: In 2004, Billy Corgan published his poetry book 'Blinking with Fists'.
In 2011, he foundered wrestling promotion company Resistance Pro, promoting the business in a Walter E. Smithe Furniture commercial. The following year he also opened Madame Zuzu's Tea House.
In 2015, he became the Senior Producer of Creative and Talent Development for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
Personal life: Billy Corgan grew up in Chicago with his brother Ricky, and guitarist father William Corgan Sr. and mother Martha who divorced when Billy was three. By his claims, he was abused by his stepmother when he lived with his father, but he and his brother continued to live with her despite both parents living close by.
A top sports player since elementary school, Corgan developed an interest in baseball when he went to Marquardt Middle School, but he abandoned sport at Glenbard North High School to focus on playing guitar instead.
He decided against college in favour of becoming a full time musician, and joined his first big band after moving to Florida in 1985 entitled The Marked. He later returned to Chicago and even spent a short time in Wayne Static's first band Deep Blue Dream.
Corgan has suffered from depression; including self-harm and OCD; for a long time and speaks out on behalf of many charities supporting those like him.
He supports baseball team the Chicago Cubs, basketball's Chicago Bulls and ice hockey's Chicago Blackhawks. He also enjoys watching wrestling and even owns his own company named Resistance Pro.
While Corgan's faith remains unclear, he has expressed interest in both Catholicism and Buddhism.
He married artist Chris Fabian in 1993 though they divorced in 1997. Among his other relationships were Yelena Yemchuk from 1995 to 2004, Emilie Autumn in 2005, Jessica Simpson in 2009 and Jessica Origliasso from The Veronicas between 2010 and 2012. He also had a tempestuous relationship with Courtney Love, even before his marriage to Fabian, and while he lived with her for a time in 2006 they have frequently argued with several rather nasty spats via Twitter.
Corgan is a pescetarian.
Biography by Contactmusic.com
