Steven Ross

There was a time when Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour was earning so much money that he described the amount as “obscene.” He recalled how he would spend his mornings writing checks to charities, simply trying to find a meaningful way to use his enormous wealth. But one day, he decided to go even further. After selling his London home for £4.5 million, Gilmour donated the entire proceeds to Crisis, a charity helping homeless people. “I don’t need that money, and I just thought it would be the right thing to do,” he modestly explained. Reflecting on life with his characteristic wisdom, Gilmour spoke about the simplicity he had come to value: “You start collecting Ferraris, then you have to buy buildings to put them in, and then you have to employ people to look after the people who look after all your possessions. Life becomes very complicated. And at some point — at least, that’s what happened to me — you find yourself thinking, ‘I don’t need any of this.’ And suddenly, life becomes simpler.”