lists

17 Wealthy Celebrities Who Purchased Their Own Islands

Date: 13th Jan 2022
Last Updated: 13th Jan 2022
richard_branson_necker_island
  • 17 Wealthy Celebrities Who Purchased Their Own Islands
  • Whilst Some Of Us Can Only Dream These Celebrities Have Bought Their Own Island In Reality
ADVERTISEMENT

Have You Ever Dreamt About Your Own Private Island?

Imagine having so much money that you could buy whatever you wanted!

Perhaps you’d choose a huge house in Los Angeles? Maybe go on a world trip? Or how about buying a fleet of expensive cars?

Believe it or not, some celebrities have even bought islands!

Often located in the warmer regions of the world like the Caribbean or the Bahamas, some aren’t all that expensive ($1 million is cheap for a celeb!).

So, let’s take a look at some wealthy celebrities who purchased their own islands.

1Larry Ellison – Lanai

The American investor and businessman is a billionaire.

In fact, he’s listed as the 10th wealthiest person in the whole world according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index!

Ellison amassed some of his fortune as the founder of Software Development Laboratories, which is now known as Oracle and is the 2nd biggest software company worldwide.

With a fortune of over $100 billion, purchasing a Hawaiian island for between $300 million and $600 million is small fry.

Lanai, known as Pineapple Island locally, is the six-largest of all the Hawaiian Islands and is approximately 18 miles long.

Ellison famously gave back some of the island after buying it.

2Jay-Z And Beyoncé – 12.5-acre Island In The Bahamas

As if a $24,000 platinum-covered phone wasn’t enough of a gift for Beyoncé back in 2009, a year later Jay-Z bought her a private island!

It cost almost $4 million, which is nothing for this pair of A-listers.

Apparently one of the reasons for this purchase is that it was so hard to have private time as a family.

In fact in order to escape from being in the public eye only a private island would do!

3Tyler Perry – White Bay Cay, Bahamas

Comedian, actor, filmmaker, and playwright Tyler Perry bought White Bay Cay back in 2009.

The purchase price has never been disclosed.

Perry also owns another nearby island, which he plans to renovate too!

It’s set to have a spa, tennis court, marina, and lodgings for guests.

Because one island is never enough!

4Gene Hackman – Fawn’s Island

Located between Washington State and Canada, Gene Hackman’s first island – Fawn Island – wasn’t big enough at 2.3 acres so he sold he for $3.6 million and bought a bigger one in British Colombia.

Nice!

Fawn island also went up for sale after some renovations, including a private dock, mooring buoy, and a new pier.

The location of his new island is not public knowledge.

5Dean Kamen – North Dumpling

If you’ve never heard of Dean Kamen, you’ll almost certainly have heard of his invention: the Segway.

Even though his two-wheeled, gyroscope transport system didn’t gain as much popularity as he’d have liked, he still earned a huge income from it.

Located just of the New York coast, North Dumping is worth around $2.5 million and is around two acres in size.

Be prepared to call him “Lord Dumpling” if you should ever be invited to visit.

6Diana Ross – Tahitian Island

When Detroit-born American singer and songwriter Diana Ross married Arne Naess, he brought with him a private island in Tahiti called Taíno.

They even honeymooned there.

This was Diana’s second marriage and unfortunately ended in divorce in 2000 after Naess allegedly fathered a child with another woman.

Four years after their divorce, the businessman died in an accident.

7Steven Spielberg – Island(s) In The Madeira Archipelago

With a net worth of around $8 billion, it’s no wonder Steven Spielberg has his own private island.

The island (and money he paid for it) is top secret but it’s thought to be in the Portuguese archipelago, Madeira.

Some reports say he owns two islands.

Well, with your very own private jet, you’ve got to have somewhere you can go to, haven’t you?

8Lenny Kravitz – Eleuthera Island, Bahamas

With Bahamian ancestry and a lot of money, it’s no surprise that the American singer Lenny Kravitz bought an island in the Bahamas.

Kravitz also has many other homes dotted around the world too.

Just before the Pandemic began, Kravitz hopped on a flight back to the Bahamian Island to spend time with his family.

However, whilst he was there the pandemic hit, and he had to stay there for months with only a weekend bag!

Not the worst place to isolate though.

9Ricky Martin – Praia Grande, Brazil

The Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Ricky Martin reportedly splurged $8 million in 2008 on a Brazilian private island.

Reports say that Martin’s island is over 19 acres and is near Angra dos Reis.

The island even has solid protection in the form of watchtowers and cannons.

Apparently, Ricky Martin only uses the island for vacations and not as his primary residence.

10Faith Hill And Tim McGraw – Coat Cay

When country music singer Faith Hill bought the Bahaman island Coat Cay with Tim McGraw in 2003, it cost them $1.2 million.

However, the island needed a lot of work as it didn’t even have a home or a pier.

The island is one of around 365 islands in a chain located around 280 miles from Miami.

The couple named the island L’Ile d’Anges, which means Angles Island in French.

It is just under 20 acres in size and has two beaches.

11The Barclay Brothers – Brecqhou

British twins, Dave and Frederick Barclay accumulated their wealth in real estate.

This afforded them to purchase Brecqhoq, which is worth around $4.3 million.

This island is located in the Channel Islands, just off the Normandy coast in France.

The brothers are fighting for the right to use helicopters and cars there, which they’re currently unable to do because the island is located under the power of Sark.

12Larry Page – Eustatia Island

Co-founder of Google, Larry Page, bought Eustacia Island in the British Virgin Islands.

Page got married on the nearby Necker Island but his ownership of Eustatia is pretty secretive.

The island is around 30 acres in size and is 0.35 miles long and 0.2 miles wide.

There are three white sandy beaches and Page’s estate comprises of a 3-bedroom, hilltop villa.

It has sunset and sunrise views, a swimming pool, and a hot tub.

There’s also a separate two-bed villa hidden in a grove of palms right next to the beach, as well as another three-bed cottage.

13Mel Gibson – Mago Island

The huge 5236-acre volcanic island, Mago Island, is one of the biggest in the South Pacific.

It’s just over 3 miles long and 3 miles wide. There is a village, some ponds, a stream, and even a lagoon.

With its white sandy beaches, coconuts, and coral reefs, Mago Island really is luxurious.

Gibson bought the island in 2004 for $15 million, but this didn’t go down well with the descendants of Mago’s original inhabitants.

People even rallied around to collect money for court costs to sue Gibson.

14Ted Turner – St Phillips Islands

After founding CNN, you can imagine just how much wealth Ted Turner has managed to accumulate.

With an estimated net worth of $2.2 billion, Ted Turner had an extravagant life on 4680-acre St Phillips Island.

However, he since sold it back to the state of South Carolina and it's now a part of the park system.

15David Copperfield – Musha Cay

Forbes once described David Copperfield as “the most commercially successful magician in history” and so we’re unsurprised by his ability to buy not one, but four Bahaman Islands for $50 million.

Out of the four, there’s only one that people can visit – Musha Cay.

However, this will set you back $37,000 to rent the whole island just for one day!

16Leonardo DiCaprio – Blackadore Caye

Famous for his roles in Titanic, Catch Me If You Can, The Beach, and Romeo and Juliet, it’s easy to see how Leonardo DiCaprio could afford to buy an island.

104-acre Blackadore Caye is situated in Belize, directly behind the second-largest barrier reef in the world.

DiCaprio discovered this island when traveling in 2004 and he plans to turn it into a restorative development.

17Richard Branson – Necker Island

London-born British businessman, Richard Branson has a net worth of $6 billion.

He was the son of a flight attendant and barrister and began his empire as a mail-order record business over 50 years ago.

He is listed on Forbes Billionaires 2021 list as #589 in the world.

While most of the island purchases in this article are recent, Branson bought his famous Necker Island back in 1978 for $180,000.

Located in the British Virgin Islands, Richard Branson actually spends most of his time there.

It covers 30 hectares and is actually a resort capable of accommodating up to forty guests.

According to Virginlimitededition.com, you can book out the entire resort for an eye-watering $107,500 per night.

You do get all of your meals and drinks, free WiFi, sports equipment, and boat transfers included though! Who fancies hopping on a plane and joining me?

Final Thoughts

It’s no surprise that celebrities purchase entire islands for themselves.

After all, who wants paparazzi snapping photos of your every move?

While there’s certainly a price to fame, there’s definitely payback too!

What do you think of these private celebrity islands? Let us know in the comments section below.

ADVERTISEMENT

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience possible. Carry on browsing if you're okay with this, or find out how to manage cookies in our Cookie Settings. In addition, by navigating on this website you acknowledge that Cookies may be used to serve you personalized ads throughout your online experience. To learn more or disable this service please consult our Cookie Policy.