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Art Bell Net Worth: Arthur William Bell III professionally known as Art Bell was an American broadcaster and author. He is best known as the founder of radio program “Coast to Coast AM” which broadcasted over hundred of radio stations in the United States and Canada. Art Bell net worth before his death is estimated to be around $12 million.
Art Bell III was born on June 17, 1945 in North Carolina to Arthur Bell Jr. and Jane Guamaer Bell. His father died in 2000 while his mother died eight years later in 2008. Bell had interest in radio since his early days and at the age of 13, he became a licensed amateur radio operator. Bell studied engineering at University of Maryland but dropped out and returned back to radio to pursue his professional career.
He began his professional broadcasting in early 1970s and working for KIDD 630 AM in California. He also worked for KMST Channel 46. In 1988 Bell and Alan Corberth founded the show “Coast to Coast AM” which mainly focused on political talk related to gun control and conspiracy theories. In 1997, his show was America’s highest rated late-night radio talk show host broadcasting in over 328 stations.
Due to its enormous popularity, the show was also highly criticized. Some topics related to politics, gun control, same –sex marriage, conspiracy theories led to many controversy. He even retired and returned to the show several times. In 2000, he announced his retirement saying that he has to resolve family crisis but returned to the show in 2001. In 2002, he retired saying he had a recurring back pain but returned to the show in 2005 calling it a semiretirement.
In 2007, he announced his retirement saying that he wish to spend some time with his new wife and daughter but he came back once again. In 2015, he announced that it would be final retirement in a Facebook page. Apart from his popular show, he also appeared on Art Bell’s Dark Matter, Midnight in the Desert and many others.
For his contribution in radio industry, he was awarded several times. In 1998, he was given the Snuffled Candle Award by the Committee of Skeptical Inquiry; s Council for Media Integrity. In 2006, he was inducted into Nevada Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame and in 2007, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the trade publication Radio & Records in Los Angeles. Finally in 2008, he was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame
He was married four times. Art Bell first married Sachiko Toguchi Bell Pontius in 1965 but they got divorced in 1968. Together they had two children named Vincent Pontius and Lisa Pontius Minei. He married Vickie L. Baker in 1981 and divorced her in 1991. Together they have one children named Arthur William Bell IV.
Bell then married his third wife Ramona Lee Hayes in 1991 but she died in 2006. After her death, he then married Airyn Ruiz in 2006. Together they had two children named Asia Rayne Bell and Alexander William Bell.
On April 13, 2018 at the age of 72, Bell died at his home in Nevada. His official cause of death is not known at this moment but he had suffered from several health problems in previous years.
