Sir Ivan: International Billboard Top 10 recording artist, singer/songwriter, celebrity, philanthropist, billionaire, and owner of Wilzig Castle.
Ivan Wilzig was born in Clifton, New Jersey, to parents Siggi and Naoimi. His father, Siggi B. Wilzig miraculously survived the horrors of Auschwitz in Nazi Germany, after which moving to the United States for a better life. In the USA, he got into two businesses: oil and commercial banking.
Ivan attended the University of Pennsylvania in 1977, earning a B.A. degree in European Intellectual History. He then earned a law degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in 1980. After graduating, he decided not to practice law; rather, work with his father and younger brother, Alan, in running The Trust Company of New Jersey, a full-service commercial bank.
In 2001, Ivan met recording industry executive Dave Jurman of Columbia Records, which led to his electronic dance remake of John Lennon’s “Imagine.” After its release, it sold 10,000 vinyl copies in its first 3 months and landed a place on the Top-40 hit on the Billboard Club Play Chart.
After the success of “Imagine”, Ivan decided to abandon the banking business and pursue music full time, performing under the stage names “Peaceman” and “Sir Ivan”. Since then, he has released countless singles, many EPs, and albums- his newest release being the album LIFE.
While he’s not working on music, Ivan lives a lavish lifestyle. He’s the owner of Wilzig Castle, an estate in Water Mill near Southampton, known for throwing legendary summer parties. It’s rumored he once paid a woman $5,000 to get his name tattooed on her left buttock.
He also formed a charity called the Peaceman Foundation.
“The Peaceman® Foundation is a private foundation that I established to battle hatred and violence – especially against those who are perceived as outsiders – and to treat those suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (P.T.S.D.), a serious condition caused by a reaction to hatred or violence.
I am donating all of my recording artist royalties from my album sales to The Peaceman Foundation, which will distribute the funds to charitable organizations that battle hatred and violence against those perceived as outsiders and to those that treat P.T.S.D. I want to help save countless lives by preventing hatred and violence from happening in the first place and by keeping victims of hatred and violence from committing suicide”.
The Peaceman Foundation has supported numerous other charities, such as ACE New York, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth, Museum of Jewish Heritage, and PTSD United.
Find Sir Ivan HERE.
