How Much Was William S. Burroughs Worth When He Died? The Numbers Might Surprise You.
William S. Burroughs was one of the most provocative voices of the Beat Generation — a literary outlaw whose work influenced not just literature, but art, music, and even punk culture.
Known for his unfiltered writing and boundary-pushing themes, Burroughs collaborated with cultural icons like Allen Ginsberg and Laurie Anderson, leaving a legacy that continues to provoke thought and admiration. But how much wealth did this anti-establishment icon accumulate by the time he died?
Early Life
Born into privilege on February 5, 1914, in St. Louis, Missouri, William Seward Burroughs II was the heir to the Burroughs Adding Machine fortune. He attended Harvard University, where he studied English literature, before bouncing around Europe and the U.S. during his formative years. Early adulthood was marked by experimentation — with both substances and ideas — which would go on to define his writing and worldview.
Career Journey
Burroughs published his first novel, Junkie, in 1953 under the pseudonym William Lee. But it was Naked Lunch (1959) — a hallucinatory, fragmented exploration of addiction, sex, and control — that solidified his place in the literary canon. The novel, later banned in several cities, was the subject of a historic obscenity trial that it ultimately won, setting a new standard for artistic freedom.
In the decades that followed, Burroughs expanded his influence beyond writing. He worked with Laurie Anderson in experimental audio recordings and collaborated with musicians like Kurt Cobain and bands such as Throbbing Gristle. His unique voice — both literally and figuratively — became iconic in avant-garde and underground circles.
Achievements & Awards, Endorsement Deals, Sponsorship Revenue, and Royalties Revenue
Achievements & Awards
Despite operating outside the literary mainstream, Burroughs earned multiple accolades:
- American Academy of Arts and Letters induction (1983)
- Naked Lunch added to the Modern Library’s 100 Best Novels list
- Influence cited by artists from David Bowie to Patti Smith
His books have sold over 2 million copies globally, per data from Grove Press and Penguin Books.
Endorsement Deals & Sponsorship Revenue
True to his countercultural roots, Burroughs avoided commercial endorsements. However, his voice and writings were used in collaborative art projects and limited-edition recordings, particularly in the 1990s. While not traditional sponsorships, these collaborations brought modest income and extended his cultural reach.
Royalties Revenue
After his death in 1997, royalties from book sales, licensing, and reprints have continued to support his estate. According to The New York Times, his literary rights — especially to Naked Lunch, Junky, and The Soft Machine — generate approximately $200,000 annually. Several of his books remain in print, often included in university reading lists and cultural studies curricula.
Personal Life
Family and Relationships
Burroughs came from wealth but lived a tumultuous personal life. He was married briefly to Joan Vollmer, tragically killing her in a drunken game of William Tell gone wrong — a pivotal moment that haunted him and shaped much of his later writing. He had one son, William S. Burroughs Jr., who also became a writer but died in his 30s.
Feuds, Tragedies, and Interesting Facts
Burroughs had intense relationships with fellow Beats like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, sometimes marked by deep loyalty, other times strained by philosophical differences. He struggled with heroin addiction for decades, often weaving these battles into his fiction.
Interestingly, Burroughs became something of a late-life cult figure, performing spoken word pieces with rock musicians and gaining fans from unexpected corners — including grunge and industrial music scenes.
Legal Controversies
Burroughs's life was shadowed by the 1951 death of his wife in Mexico City, which led to a manslaughter conviction in absentia. He avoided prison time but fled the country. His writing was often the subject of legal battles due to obscenity laws, particularly in the U.S. and U.K., but he ultimately prevailed, helping to redefine freedom of expression in literature.
Real Estate Portfolio
Burroughs spent his final years in a modest home in Lawrence, Kansas, where he focused on painting and writing. The property, now preserved as The Burroughs House, was valued at roughly $400,000 at the time of his death, according to Douglas County property records.
There is no public evidence of additional properties or real estate investments. Most of his life was lived modestly, even in his wealthier periods.
How Rich Was William S. Burroughs When He Died?
At the time of his death in 1997, William S. Burroughs’s net worth was estimated at $10 million, according to literary estate filings and reports from Forbes and Publisher’s Weekly. The figure was driven largely by book sales, posthumous licensing, and inheritance from his family’s business legacy.
How Did We Calculate His Net Worth?
The estimated net worth includes:
- Inheritance from the Burroughs Adding Machine Company
- Lifetime book sales and advances
- Royalties from reprints and licensing
- Revenue from art and spoken word collaborations
- Real estate value
Public records, interviews, and estate management data were used in this estimate, with verification from Forbes, Grove Press, and Burroughs Communications.
How Much Did William S. Burroughs Make a Year at His Peak?
At the height of his literary fame in the late 1960s and again in the 1990s resurgence, Burroughs earned between $300,000 and $500,000 annually, through book sales, lecture tours, and performance projects. In his later years, he also received lucrative speaking fees and collaborated with artists for paid multimedia releases.
Who Inherited His Fortune?
Following his death, Burroughs’s estate passed to James Grauerholz, his longtime companion, editor, and literary executor. Grauerholz continues to manage the William S. Burroughs Trust, which oversees the author’s copyrights, image rights, and licensing agreements.
Conclusion
William S. Burroughs lived a life far removed from the conventions of wealth and fame — yet he left behind a cultural and financial legacy that continues to grow. His work remains relevant, raw, and influential, earning new readers and listeners with each generation.
Burroughs’s legacy is tightly connected to artistic visionaries like Allen Ginsberg, Laurie Anderson, Kurt Cobain, and David Bowie, all of whom were shaped by or collaborated with his groundbreaking ideas. His literary estate not only survives — it thrives, carrying forward the Gonzo, Beat, and avant-garde spirit into the future.
