Rick Astley

Date of Birth: February 6, 1966

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Biography

Rick Astley, born Richard Paul Astley, is an English singer, songwriter, and radio personality. He was born on February 6, 1966, in Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire, England. Astley gained worldwide fame in the late 1980s with his debut single “Never Gonna Give You Up,” which became a global number one hit and the cornerstone of his successful music career. Astley’s deep voice and catchy pop tunes earned him significant success throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. Astley began his music career as a drummer in a local band called FBI before being discovered by the renowned production team Stock Aitken Waterman. His debut album “Whenever You Need Somebody” was released in 1987 and went multi-platinum. After releasing several more albums and achieving numerous hits, Astley retired from music in 1993 to focus on his family. In the early 2000s, Astley made a comeback, buoyed by the internet phenomenon known as “Rickrolling,” where unsuspecting internet users were tricked into watching the music video for “Never Gonna Give You Up.” He has since released new music, toured internationally, and is now regarded as a pop culture icon.

5 Interesting Facts about Rick Astley

1. Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” won the Brit Award for Best British Single in 1988.

2. Astley was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1989.

3. The “Rickrolling” internet meme, which involves tricking someone into clicking a link to the “Never Gonna Give You Up” music video, began around 2007 and significantly boosted Astley’s popularity.

4. He took a hiatus from his music career from 1993 to 2001 to spend more time with his family.

5. In 2008, Rick Astley was voted “Best Act Ever” at the MTV Europe Music Awards, largely due to the online phenomenon of Rickrolling.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Rick Astley

1. “You can’t get too big for your boots. Because you know that you have to go back to reality at some point.”

2. “I never set out to be a pop star; I set out to be a musician.”

3. “I have a family, and I wanted to be a good dad and a good husband.”

4. “I think my audience is people who grew up with me, and they’re kind of reliving their youth a bit.”

5. “The internet is a weird place. It can make you or break you.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Rick Astley’s highest net worth is estimated to be around $16 million.

Children

Rick Astley has one daughter, Emilie Astley, born in 1992. He has often mentioned his dedication to his family as a significant reason for stepping back from the music industry during the 1990s.