Having mentioned him right at the start of our list, we were always going to end up coming back to Kurt Cobain at some point. There was no 'grunge scene' in Seattle before Cobain and Nirvana created it. The music was originally intended to be a more 'authentic' rock and roll sound, and an alternative to the over-produced and showy stadium rock which had become popular at the time. In many ways, Nirvana was the antithesis of KISS and Guns n' Roses.
With 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' Cobain wrote an anthem for every angry and rebellious teenager in the world, which remains as suited for purpose today as it was when Nirvana released it in 1991. Eventually, the pressure of the band's success became too much for Cobain, contributing to his decision to take his own life at the age of only 27. In death, he only became a bigger legend, with his music destined to live on forever.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.