America is a land of diverse opportunities. Sometimes that opportunity comes in the form of a position in one of her thousand companies or in the form of traditional art – acting, musical artistry. Other times, that opportunity reveals itself in less traditional forms like tattoo work. The latter is the ladder with which Kat Von D climbed to the city of success. The tattoo artist and entrepreneur has elevated the profession into a celebrated art form and turned body ink into a valid expression of self. To know more about Kat Von D, her history and personal life, read below to find out more about the millionaire tattoo artist.
Kat Von D – Biography
One of the beautiful things about America is how when the stars are allowed to align, you can be from anywhere and make something of yourself in the country. Von D is a Mexican-born woman; her birth took place in Montemorelos, Nuevo León to be exact. Her path to greatness started when she was 4 years old and her parents chose to move to Los Angeles. Despite being the most popular and successful member of the Von D family, she’s not the only child of her parents – René and Sylvia. Her other siblings include a sister named Karoline and a brother called Michael.
Despite a teenage and young adult life that was dominated by punk music, Von D grew up learning classical piano. They say as we grow older, we learn more about who we are. As Von D grew older, she learned about the music of Ramones and the Misfits. Their music connected with Von D and just before she hit the age of 14, she dropped out of school and pursued a career as a tattoo artist. She’s popularly known as Kat Von D, but her real name is Katherine von Drachenberg
The journey of Kat Von D from being a beginner to starring in Miami Ink is outlined in her first book, High Voltage Tattoo. Her journey to stardom, however, started on the tattoo artist reality TV show, Miami Ink. The opportunity to appear on the show came after Darren Brass, a cast member and tattoo artist on the show had broken his elbow. She was called in as a stand-in and she clearly did a great job as a stand-in because she was offered her own show after she left the 305 Ink shop where the show was taped.
Her show, LA Ink chronicled her life as a tattoo artist in her local shop in Hollywood, California. A hard worker, Kat Von D broke a Guinness World Record during the show for most tattoos given by a single person in 24 hours. Her show lasted for four seasons.
Not satisfied with just being a tattoo artist, she has written two books – High Voltage Tattoo and The Tattoo Chronicles. Both books entered Top 10 on the New York Bestsellers List.
Her drive to become a lot more than a tattoo artist continued in 2008 when she launched a makeup line for Sephora, the cosmetics company. The makeup line has grown to become one of the leading brands in the world. She is also the creator of MusInk Tattoo Convention and Music Festival, an all age group tattoo, music and art festival. Von D is also a singer, an avid music fan who speaks of how music influences her art. She has lent her voice to bands such as The 69 Eyes and Prayers.
Net Worth
Kat Von D is currently believed to be worth a total of $10 million. Her wealth comes from a string of successful endeavours like her tattoo shop, reality show, and two best-selling books which showed her prowess as an author. She’s also the creator of a major clothing and make-up line.
Family Life – Parents, Husband
Although Kat is an American, she is the child of Argentinian couple, Rene Drachenberg and Sylvia Galeano who they had back in Mexico before the search for a better life prompted their move to Los Angeles in California. The couple has two other children besides Kat; a boy they named Michael and a girl called Karoline. Kat Von D has a close relationship with her family and she’s repeatedly spoken of her grandmother who has the driving personality that led her to music and art.
Von D has been married three times. She had her first marriage with fellow tattoo artist . The couple got married in 2003 but it did not last and they were separated in 2007. Her second marriage was to Jesse James, a motorcycle customizer. The entire relationship barely lasted 2 years – from dating to marriage and eventual divorce.
Her third marriage was to Rafael Reyes, a member of the band, Prayers. The couple got married in February 2018 and are expecting their first child together.
Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.
