Rock legend Sting is adamant that his children should work—and not depend on his fortune.
The English musician told CBS Sunday Morning‘s Mark Phillips that taking away the need for hard work is “a form of abuse.” Phillips asked the 74-year-old rocker about his privilege and success and whether his six children are still “not going to get any of it.”
Sting, whose real name is Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, laughed in response. “All of my kids have been blessed with this extraordinary work ethic, whether it’s the DNA of it or whether I’ve said to them, ‘Guys, you’ve got to work. I’m spending our money. I’m paying for your education. You’ve got shoes on your feet. Go to work,’” he said.
The former Police singer and bassist told the Daily Mail in 2014 that he didn’t want to leave his entire fortune to his children. “I certainly don’t want to leave them trust funds that are albatrosses ’round their necks,” he said back then. “They have to work. All my kids know that and they rarely ask me for anything, which I really respect and appreciate.”
“I told them there won’t be much money left because we are spending it!” the star said. “We have a lot of commitments. What comes in, we spend, and there isn’t much left.”
He stipulated that he would always help his children if they found themselves in “trouble” but emphasized that they “want to succeed on their own merit.”
Over a decade later, his philosophy is unchanged.
“I think the worst thing you can do to a kid is to say, ‘You don’t have to work,’” he said to CBS. “I think that’s a form of abuse that I hope I’m never guilty of.”
“That’s not cruel,” he continued. “I think that there’s a kindness there and a trust in them that they will make their own way. They’re tough, my kids.”
Sting was previously married to actress Frances Tomelty, with whom he shares two children: son Joe Sumner, 49, and daughter Fuschia Sumner, 44. He married Trudie Styler in 1992. He and the actress have four children: Mickey Sumner, 42; Jake Sumner, 40; Eliot Sumner, 35; and Giacomo Sumner, 30.
The “Every Breath You Take” singer was estimated to have a net worth of more than $400 million in 2022, according to The Sunday Times.
A 17-time Grammy winner, Sting told CBS that he still finds love and motivation for his work. Phillips questioned why he still needs to do so, asking, “You don’t have to work. You’ve got houses all over the place, probably more money than you know you have. Why are you still doing this?”
“Because I like to work,” he responded. “Could I retire? I’m not sure I could do it. I haven’t developed that skill to just sit and do nothing.”
