How Much Was Melvin Van Peebles Worth When He Died?

Yet another Hollywood legend will be remembered following the news of Melvin Van Peebles' death. The influential filmmaker and African American pioneer died "at home with family at the age of 89" on September 21, The Criterion Collection announced on Twitter the next day. In a statement released on behalf of The Criterion Collection, Melvin's loved ones, and Janus Films, the late star was remembered for being a "giant of American cinema" who "made an indelible mark on the international cultural landscape." 

Melvin's son Mario Van Peebles, an actor and director who often collaborated with his dad, also released a statement through The Criterion Collection, crediting his father for paving the way for countless Black entertainers. "Dad knew that Black images matter. If a picture is worth a thousand words, what was a movie worth?" read Mario's statement. "We want to be the success we see, thus we need to see ourselves being free. True liberation did not mean imitating the colonizer's mentality. It meant appreciating the power, beauty, and interconnectivity of all people."

Through his work on films like "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song," "Watermelon Man," and more, Melvin was a trailblazer for stars, including Spike Lee, John Singleton, and Bill Cosby. He was even awarded for his projects, like in 1987, when he won a Daytime Emmy for writing a "CBS Schoolbreak Special" episode, per The Hollywood Reporter. For details on how much Melvin's fortune was worth at the time of his death, keep scrolling. 

With more than six decades of showbiz under his belt, Melvin Van Peebles is remembered for championing a new era of Black cinema for the younger generation of African American filmmakers and actors. At the time of his heartbreaking death on September 21, Van Peebles' net worth was estimated at $3 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The Chicago native was put on the map when he created his 1967 feature film "The Story of a Three-Day Pass."

Van Peebles was labeled by The New York Times as "the first Black man in show business to beat the white man at his own game" when he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song" in 1971, which earned him a reported $500,000. With the help of word of mouth, "Sweetback" brought in $10 million to the box office, making it the highest-grossing independent film in history at that time, per The Hollywood Reporter.

More of Van Peebles' legendary work includes "Panther," "Greased Lightning," "Sonny Spoon," "American Masters," and dozens more, according to IMDb. As The Criterion Collection said in a statement, "His work continues to be essential," and is, therefore, "being celebrated" posthumously at the 2021 New York Film Festival, through "a Criterion Collection box set, Melvin Van Peebles: Essential Films," and "a revival of his play 'Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death,' slated for a return to Broadway next year."