‘Come on, Taylor, take the pledge and give away half your wealth’
Billionaire John’s plea to hit-maker
BILLIONAIRE John Caudwell has urged superstar singer Taylor Swift to give away at least half her £1billion fortune to good causes.
The self-made businessman, worth £2.5billion, has written to the US hitmaker asking her to join his Giving Pledge.
The promise, signed by 242 of the world’s richest people, guarantees each will give at least 50% of their wealth away when they die.
Pennsylvania-born singer-songwriter, producer, director, businesswoman and actress Taylor, 34, has been listed in billionaire bible Forbes Rich List for the first time.
She joined the elite power group after her Eras Tour of
152 shows on five continents earned her £800million. She has now amassed a fortune well over £1billion as one of the most successful artists of all time.
Philanthropist John, 71, now wants the multiple Grammy-winning star, and other rich-list entrants like Tesla founder Elon Musk, Facebook supremo Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon creator Jeff Bezos and investor Warren Buffett, to join his crusade.
Giving Pledge will use their cash to try to eliminate ills such as disease, child poverty and climate change. Birmingham-born Phones 4u founder John said: “Philanthropy gives me far more pleasure and satisfaction than making money. “In fact, making money is now largely driven by the knowledge I will be able to leave even more behind for charitable causes when I go. The dad-ofseven was born to a workingclass family. He started out as an apprentice engineer at Michelin and later ran a mail order business and a car showroom.
He then took on a consignment of 26 clunky mobile phone handsets at £1,350 each that took him eight months to sell for £2,000 apiece.
In 2006, John sold the group that became Phones 4u to a private equity group for £1.5billion.
Committed
He has children Rebekah, 42, Libby, 34, Rufus, 25, Scarlett, 20, and Jacobi, 18, from previous relationships, and William John, two, and Isabella, one, with wife Modesta Vzesniauskaite a former Lithuanian Olympic cyclist.
Forbes says country-turned-pop singer Taylor is the only musician to have earned so much money from her songs and performances alone. She is one of 265 people to have joined a 2,781-strong list of global billionaires in the past year, with a combined wealth of $14.2trillion.
If each pledged to donate at least half to charity or good causes, it would mean more than $7trillion being committed to helping others.
John has promised to give at least 70% of his wealth away when he dies.
His Caudwell Children charity, founded in 2000, helps around 3,000 kids in dire medical need and their cash-strapped parents every year.
He said: “My hope is we will eventually help every eligible child in the UK and in other countries if I can find like-minded individuals to help me. My message to those who have not yet found philanthropy is they may well find that it becomes a drug that gives far more pleasure than the creation of wealth.”