If you are a fan of rock music, you must have heard of the Los Angeles-based rock band Missing Persons. Then, you also must recognize one of its founding members, Warren Cuccurullo. He is an American musician, singer, songwriter, restaurant owner, and former bodybuilder who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
The singer was also a member of the English new wave band Duran Duran. He once revealed that he was fired from the band by letter. Many of you might be curious to know why he was made to leave. So, let's learn about the reason Warren Cuccurullo was let go from the band, along with his personal life and professional career.
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Is The Eldest Child
The songwriter was born Warren Bruce Cuccurullo to his parents, Ellen Cuccurullo and Jerry Cuccurullo. He was welcomed into the world on December 8, 1956, in Brooklyn, New York, United States. He is of Italian-American heritage, which has its roots in Nocera Inferiore in Campania, Italy. In addition, he also has some Greek ancestry.
Warren isn't the only child his mother and father had welcomed. He is the firstborn of his parents and has three younger siblings. He has two brothers, Jerry Cuccurullo Jr. and Robert Cuccurullo, and a sister, Stephanie Cuccurullo. Unfortunately, no further information regarding the musician's family has yet been revealed to the public. Nonetheless, he grew up in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn. Moreover, he started playing drums and guitar at a very young age.
Warren Cuccurullo is the eldest child of his parents and has three younger siblings. Image Source: Warren Cuccurullo's Facebook.
Talking about his educational background, the Brooklyn native completed his high school studies at Canarsie High School, graduating in 1974. As for his higher studies, nothing has been disclosed as of now.
What Is Warren Mainly Known For?
Although he co-founded and released a few songs with Missing Persons, Cuccurullo only rose to prominence after joining Duran Duran. He is best known as a long-term member of Duran Duran. The band first hired him as a session guitarist in September 1986 to complete the album Notorious after its guitarist Andy Taylor left.
The instrumentalist became an official member of Duran Duran in June 1989, after contributing his guitar work to the album Big Thing and touring with the group. He co-wrote hit singles Ordinary World and Come Undone and contributed to Duran Duran's return to fame. He was involved with the band for 16 years before he was asked to leave in early 2001 so that the original members could reunite.
Warren Cuccurullo Net Worth And Career
The Brooklyn native has been active in the music industry since 1977 and has been involved in different other professions as well. He must have bagged an impressive amount of money throughout the years. Likewise, Warren Cuccurullo's net worth must be immense. Now, lets' learn further about his earnings and career.
During his teen years, the former Duran Duran member was a huge fan of Frank Zappa and even befriended a few members of the latter's band. Later, in December 1978, he joined Zappa's band as a guitarist and even appeared in the 1979 Zappa movie Baby Snakes. Then, he went on to form Missing Persons with former Zappa's band members, Dale Bozzio and Terry Bozzio.
Sadly, Missing Persons fell apart in 1986 after sharing their label Capitol Records with Warren's next band, Duran Duran. Furthermore, in the early 1990s, he collaborated with fellow bandmate Nick Rhodes and formed the electronic band TV Mania. Together, the two wrote and recorded numerous songs. Additionally, Cuccurullo also formed a local free jazz group called Theoretical 5 with Arthur Barrow, Tommy Mars, and others, in 2010.
The same year, the guitarist released the debut album, Chicanery, from his collaborative effort with Neil Carlill. He also has had a few solo releases. Now, let's take a look at the prices of some of his solo albums below:
Albums | Price |
Machine Language | $38.81 |
Thanks to Frank | $32.14 |
Trance Formed | $24.49 |
Table Source: Amazon
Moreover, Warren has a YouTube channel with more than 2.3 thousand subscribers. The average income of a professional musician in a year is estimated to be $43,458. So, although Warren Cuccurullo's earnings hasn't been revealed, he must have made a hefty amount from all of his musical ventures.
Apart from his career in music, Cuccurullo bought an Italian restaurant in Santa Monica, California, called Via Veneto in 2002. Later, he also financially supported the opening of a restaurant named Hidden. He must have made a huge fortune from all these endeavors. And earnings from all these works must have contributed to boosting Warren Cuccurullo's net worth. Hence, he must be able to enjoy a comfortable life thanks to his enormous wealth.
Stephen Duffy is another former member of Duran Duran with immense riches.
Is Warren Married?
Well, it is hard to say as the 5' 8" tall instrumentalist has not been very open to the public about his personal life. Despite being in the limelight for the past few decades, he has not shared much about his love life with the media yet. Still, as per several sites, Warren is engaged to his long-time girlfriend. Warren Cuccurullo's fiancée is Donna Nguyen, who is of Vietnamese nationality.
It remains to be seen whether the couple has tied the knot. Previously, the Canarsie High alumnus was in a loving relationship with his ex-partner, Claudia Bueno. It is also not a new piece of information that the one-time pair dated for a long time. Other than that, no further information about them as a couple is known. Also, Warren Cuccurullo's ex-girlfriend seems to be leading a private life following their separation.
Proud Father Of One
As the title suggests, the TV Mania member is a proud dad to his adopted kid, Mayko Cuccurullo, who is the child of none other than his former girlfriend, Claudia Bueno. Warren Cuccurullo’s son, born in 1983, is featured in the Duran Duran video Breath After Breath, which was filmed in 1993. Furthermore, Mayko also contributed some vocals to the N’Liten Up project.
Besides that, not much has been made public about Warren Cuccurullo's child. Nonetheless, the father-son must have a lovely bond. As the guitarist is still active in his career, his fortune is most likely to increase. We wish more happiness and wealth to Warren and his loved ones.
Trivia And Facts
- Warren has over 7K followers on his Facebook page.
- Frank Zappa mentioned him in his song Catholic Girls.
- He appeared in the 1981 movie Lunch Wagon with his bandmates, Terry and Dale Bozzio.