As previously mentioned, James Lipton grew up poor. “When your father’s a poet and your mother’s a teacher, there’s not much money, not much food in the larder,” the famed interviewer told Playbill in 2004. “I became an amateur actor at 13 in Catholic theatre in Detroit. When I came to New York, I acted to support myself and my mother, who was then retired.”
However, by the time of his death in March 2020, the Inside the Actors Studio star didn’t need to worry about having enough food. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Lipton left behind a reported fortune of $6 million. Since the multi-hyphenate had no children, we can assume his wife of over 40 years, Kedakai Turner Lipton, would inherit his estate.
“We met at the ballet. I took one look at her and I fell madly in love,” Lipton revealed to Parade in 2013. “I called her the next day and asked her to have dinner with me. Nine months later we were married.” When asked how his happy marriage had lasted so long, Lipton replied, “Because Kedakai is a masterpiece.”
Written by: Nicki