Atz Kilcher is an American musician, artist, and reality TV star who has a net worth of $5 million. Atz Kilcher is known for starring on the Discovery Channel show “Alaska: The Last Frontier.” It focuses on the Kilcher family and their homestead, which was established nearly a century ago on the Kachemak Bay in Homer, Alaska. Atz is probably most famous for being the father of pop music star Jewel Kilcher, who lives in Texas today. Since her 1995 debut album “Pieces of You,” Jewel has released a total of 12 studio albums, many of which were multi-platinum. As of December 2013, Jewel has sold 30 million albums worldwide.
Early Life
Atz Kilcher was born on September 2, 1947, and raised in Homer, Alaska. Kilcher grew up in a musical family with seven siblings who were all home-schooled for many years because their childhood home was so remote. Atz’s father, Yule Kilcher, moved to Alaska in 1940, and that’s where he started the Kilcher Homestead on 160 acres of federal land. He also worked as a state senator. Atz’s siblings include his brother Otto and sisters Fay Graham, Mossy Kilcher, Sunrise Sjoeberg, Wurtilla Hepp, Catkin Kilcher Burton, and Stellavera Kilcher. All of the Kilcher children were home-schooled. Eventually, a road was built close enough to the Kilcher home that allowed Atz and his siblings to travel to the nearest public school every day. The children’s parents, Yule and Ruth, emigrated to Alaska from Switzerland in the 1930s and were some of the earliest settlers in the remote Alaskan territory. Ruth was a classically trained singer before moving to Alaska and taught her kids everything she knew about music. Kilcher described in his 2018 memoir that he would often have to face angry moods from his father while growing up.
(Photo by Duane Prokop/Getty Images for Wellness Your Way Festival )
To beat the boredom of being isolated on the homestead, the Kilcher family entertained itself with songs, plays, games, and various forms of arts and crafts, frequently in front of the campfire. Thanks to his family, Atz developed a very early passion for music and performing. Throughout the ’50s and ’60s, the Kilcher family toured Alaska and Europe to perform songs and live shows. Atz was drafted into the Vietnam War in 1967. He spent just two years serving in the army.
(Photo by Tom Cooper/Getty Images)
Career
Atz is currently one of the stars of the Discovery Channel show “Alaska: The Last Frontier,” which chronicles the Kilcher family and their homestead in Southern Alaska. Atz is in charge of protecting his family’s herd of cattle from local predators such as coyotes, wolves, and bears. Kilcher published a book in 2018 called “Son of a Midnight Land: A Memoir in Stories,” which documents his childhood on the family homestead, among other interesting aspects of his life. He also is a singer and writer and is a known celebrity around Alaska for his talent for yodeling.
Personal Life
After returning home after serving in the Vietnam War, Kilcher married Lenerda Carroll. The couple went on to have three children, sons Shane and Atz Lee and daughter Jewel, the Grammy-winning folk singer who now resides in Texas. Atz spends much of his time alone during the summer while attending to the cattle. His two sons live on nearby tracts of land.
