America is a land of opportunity. Sometimes this opportunity comes in the form of a position in one of its thousand companies or in the form of traditional arts – acting, musical artistry. Other times, the opportunity comes in less traditional forms like tattooing. The latter is the ladder with which Kat has risen from D to the city of success. The tattoo artist and entrepreneur has elevated the profession to a celebrated art form and made body ink a valid expression of the self. To learn more about Kat Von D, her history, and personal life, read below to learn more about the multi-million dollar tattoo artist.
Kat Von D – Biography
One of the nice things about America is that if the stars are allowed to align, you can come from anywhere and make something of yourself in the country. Von D is a woman born in Mexico; her birth took place in Montemorelos, Nuevo León, to be exact. Her path to greatness began when she was 4 years old and her parents decided to move to Los Angeles. Although she is the most popular and successful member of the Von D family, she is not her parents’ only child – René and Sylvia. Her other siblings include a sister named Karoline and a brother named Michael.
Despite a teenage and young adult life marked by punk music, Von D grew up with classical piano lessons. They say as we get older, we learn more about who we are. As Von D grew older, she learned about the music of the Ramones and Misfits. Her music merged with Von D, and just before she turned 14, she dropped out of school and pursued a career as a tattoo artist. She is popularly known as Kat von D, but her real name is Katherine von Drachenberg.
The path of Kat Von D from beginner to leading lady in Miami Ink is outlined in her first book High Voltage Tattoo. However, her journey to fame began in the reality TV show of tattoo artist Miami Ink. The opportunity to appear on the show arose after Darren Brass, a cast member and tattoo artist on the show, broke his elbow. She was called in as a replacement, and she clearly did a great job as a replacement because she was offered her own show after she left the 305 Ink store where the show was recorded.
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Her show LA Ink covered her life as a tattoo artist in her local store in Hollywood, California. The hard-working Kat of D broke a Guinness world record during the show for the most tattoos done by a single person within 24 hours. Her show lasted for four seasons.
Not content with being just a tattoo artist, she wrote two books – High Voltage Tattoo and The Tattoo Chronicles. Both books made it into the top 10 New York bestseller list.
Her drive to be much more than a tattoo artist continued in 2008 when she launched a makeup line for the Sephora cosmetics company. The make-up line has become one of the leading brands in the world. She is also the creator of the MusInk Tattoo Convention and Music Festival, a tattoo, music, and art festival for all ages. Von D is also a singer and an avid music fan who talks about how music influences her art. She has lent her voice to bands like The 69 Eyes and Prayers.
Net Worth
Kat Von D is currently estimated at a total value of $10 million. Her wealth stems from a number of successful ventures such as her tattoo store, a reality show, and two bestselling books that demonstrated her skills as an author. She is also the creator of a major clothing and makeup line.
Family Life – Parents, Husband
Although Kat is an American, she is the child of the Argentinean couple Rene Drachenberg and Sylvia Galeano, who had her in Mexico before the search for a better life prompted her to move to Los Angeles, California. The couple has two other children besides Kat; a boy named Michael and a girl named Karoline. Kat Von D has a close relationship with her family, and she has often talked about her grandmother, who has the driving personality that led her to music and art.
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Von D has been married three times. Her first marriage was with her tattooist colleague Oliver Peck. The couple married in 2003, but that didn’t last long and they were separated in 2007. In her second marriage, she married Jesse James, a motorcycle customizer. The whole relationship lasted barely 2 years – from dating to marriage and finally divorce.
In her third marriage, she married Rafael Reyes, a member of the band Prayers. The couple married in February 2018 and expect their first child together.
