Bruce Lee's Net Worth At The Time Of His Death

While modern-day stars can certainly bring in big bucks — just take a look at the net worths of Adam Driver, Emma Watson, and Scarlett Johansson — there were plenty of old-school celebrities who made formidable fortunes back in their day. The late Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas did pretty well for himself financially, as did Seinfeld's Jerry Stiller, Modern Family's Fred Willard, and Tommy Boy's Brian Dennehy, who all made their fair share of funds before they passed away (although some obviously had more than others). Bruce Lee is also someone whose skills on-screen made him a rich man.

As a skilled martial arts expert and movie star, Lee appeared in classic films like 1972's Fist of Fury and The Way of the Dragon, which came out that same year and was followed by 1973's Enter the Dragon. While he "starred in only five feature films as an adult, and only three of them were released before his early death in Hong Kong at the age of 32," according to the BBC, "fascination with his life, philosophy, and legacy remains."

This enduring allure that ended up making Lee a star, whose influence is still evident long after his death, is also what ended up making him a lot of money — which is exactly what he had in mind.

Bruce Lee may not have had the longest career in Hollywood before he died "suddenly and mysteriously" on July 20, 1973, "just six days before [his film] Enter the Dragon was set to be released," according to Newsweek; however, he still managed to become a wealthy man before he passed away. The actor and martial arts superstar was worth $10 million at the time of his death, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

What makes that number even more impressive is that Lee seems to have manifested that exact amount. Before he found fame and fortune, Quartz explains that the performer penned a letter in 1969 that spelled out his "Definite Chief Aim," which included how much money he wanted to make.

"I, Bruce Lee, will be the first highest paid Oriental super star in the United States," he reportedly wrote. "In return I will give the most exciting performances and render the best of quality in the capacity of an actor." He then went on to state that starting the next year, beyond living the way he pleased and achieving "inner harmony and happiness," he would "achieve world fame and from then onward till the end of 1980 ... will have in my possession $10,000,000."

Talk about making your dreams come true! Sadly, he didn't have very long to enjoy that money before he passed away.