Ringing tills music to mogul’s ears

MUSIC boss Simon Fuller has seen his fortune swell by £40 million (€58m) in the past year, according to an annual rich list.

The manager turned media mogul whose protégés S Club announced their split this week is now worth £90m (€130m).

He is just ahead of Ozzy Osbourne in the list compiled for the Sunday Times, to be published this weekend.

The former Black Sabbath rocker turned fly-on-the-wall TV star is worth £85m (€123m) along with wife Sharon, double their total for the previous year.

Britain's wealthiest music star continues to be Paul McCartney who is £47m (€68m) richer in a year.

He is now worth £730 million (over €1bn), according to the 2003 list.

The former Beatle had a hugely successful US tour in 2002 and continued to rake in cash from his back catalogue.

McCartney's expanding stockpile has now pushed him into Britain's top 30 wealthiest people for the first time. He has moved up from 34 to 29.

His nearest rival, impresario Andrew Lloyd-Webber, is still way behind on £400m (€578m), down £20m (€29m) on his estimate for 2002.

Third-placed Cameron Mackintosh, the theatre producer, saw an even more dramatic fall from £400m (€578m) to £335m (€485m).

The list attributed the slump to falling profits in the West End. Robbie Williams saw his riches almost double in a year, from £35m (€50m) to £68m (€98m).

He is now worth more than George Michael, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, each worth £60m (€87m).

He has also overtaken Rod Stewart again a £60m rocker whose ex-wife, Rachel Hunter, Williams was reported to be dating.