Madonna Divorce Settlement: $75 Million

The divorce settlement between Madonna and her ex-husband Guy Ritchie has finally been confirmed by the singer's rep. The deal calls for Ritchie to receive roughly $75 million of Madonna's estimated $490 million worth. Part of the $75 million sum includes the couple's country home in western England as well as a pub that was co-owned by the couple. The sum is also about twice what Paul McCartney had to pay when he divorced Heather Mills, and stands on record as perhaps the highest divorce settlement in U.K. history.

"I'd assume it's one of the largest payouts ever in a divorce settlement," Madonna's rep Liz Rosenberg said. The divorce is expected to become final in January, with custodial arrangements for the couple's children still needing to be worked out. According to sources, the Material Mom reportedly plans to leave London and relocate back to New York City. Madonna should have no problem recouping the money lost in the divorce settlement as her Sticky & Sweet tour continues to break records for highest-grossing tour by a female solo artist.

Related Stories:
• Madonna Tour Rakes In $91.5 Million, On Pace For Records
• Madonna and Guy Ritchie Announce Divorce
• Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet Tour Rolls Into New York With Reworked Hits, Virtual Britney

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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