Jordan tops list of costly star divorce settlements

Neil Diamond and Steven Spielberg are second and third on new Forbes list


LOS ANGELES - THE bigger they are, the harder they fall - especially in the world of celebrity divorce.

Basketball great Michael Jordan, singer-songwriter Neil Diamond and Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg top a new Forbes magazine list released on Thursday of the most costly divorce settlements of the stars.

Jordan's pending divorce from his wife of nearly 18 years, Chicago bank officer Juanita Vanoy, could end up as the most expensive in entertainment history, Forbes said, if his estranged spouse walks away with half his fortune.

With Jordan having earned much of his wealth during his marriage, most of it through endorsement deals, Vanoy stands to collect more than US$150 million (S$230 million), the magazine said.

A close second would be the estimated US$150 million settlement Diamond paid to onetime TV production assistant Marcia Murphey, whom he married in 1969 before his breakthrough album, Touching You, Touching Me, went gold. They divorced in 1996.

Spielberg's first marriage, to actress Amy Irving, ended in 1989 with his ex-spouse awarded roughly half of his fortune, about US$100 million, ranking No. 3 on Forbes' list.

Actor Harrison Ford ranks No. 4 on the list with an estimated US$85 million paid to his first wife, Melissa Mathison, who Forbes said negotiated a piece of his future earnings from films made while they were married.

Fellow screen star Kevin Costner landed in fifth place for an estimated US$80 million settlement obtained by his first wife, Cindy Silva, whose 16- year marriage to him spanned his peak earning years.

Forbes ranked the pending divorce between former Beatle Paul McCartney and ex-model Heather Mills at No. 6, based on reports suggesting she may collect more than US$60 million of Sir Paul's US$700 million net worth.

Rolling Stone Mick Jagger got off much easier, giving up a fraction of his estate - US$15 million to US$25 million - to Texas supermodel Jerry Hall after he successfully challenged the legality of their 1990 Balinese wedding ceremony and obtained an annulment.

Still, that sum was enough to land Jagger on Forbes' list at No. 10.

REUTERS

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The 10 most expensive divorces

1. Michael & Juanita Jordan

Settlement pending: Possibly more than US$150 million

2. Neil Diamond & Marcia Murphey

Estimated settlement: US$150 million

3. Steven Spielberg & Amy Irving

Estimated settlement: US$100 million

4. Harrison Ford & Melissa Mathison

Estimated settlement: US$85 million

5. Kevin Costner & Cindy Silva

Estimated settlement: US$80 million

6. Paul McCartney & Heather Mills

Settlement pending: Possibly more than US$60 million

7. James Cameron & Linda Hamilton

Estimated settlement: US$50 million

8. Michael & Diandra Douglas

Estimated settlement: US$45 million

9. Lionel & Diane Richie

Estimated settlement: US$20 million

10. Mick Jagger & Jerry Hall

Estimated settlement: US$15 to US$25 million

SOURCE: FORBES