Celebrity Gist,
Entertainment
Unbelievable: The 15 Top-Earning Dead Celebrities
No. 1 Michael Jackson
$170 millionMusician
Died: June 25, 2009
Age: 50
Cause: Overdose
And Micheal the Late 'king of pop' even in the grave is still earning more money than the richest celebrity alive!!! Jackson’s own publishing company, Mijac Music, adds double-digit millions to his annual afterlife take.See more after the cut....
No. 2 Elvis Presley
$55 millionSinger, Actor
Died: Aug. 16, 1977
Age: 42
Cause: Heart attack
Michael Jackson may be the King of Pop and of postmortem
earnings, but Elvis will always be the King of Rock and Roll. That’s not
a bad line of afterlife work, either—the bulk of Presley’s revenue
comes from Graceland admissions, licensing and merchandizing and a
Cirque du Soleil show launched last year in Las Vegas. CKX, the company
that bought the bulk of the Presley estate from daughter Lisa Marie, was
acquired by billionaire Leon Black’s Apollo Global Management in June.
Actress
Died: Aug. 5, 1962
Age: 36
Cause: Overdose
No. 3 Marilyn Monroe
$27 millionActress
Died: Aug. 5, 1962
Age: 36
Cause: Overdose
Almost 50 years after her death, Monroe is getting a makeover. Authentic
Brands Group bought the rights to Monroe’s estate earlier this year
with an eye toward upgrading the star’s image. She’s already co-starred
in an ad for J’Adore fragrance with Charlize Theron. Next up: a line of
Marilyn Monroe cafes.
Cartoonist
Died: Feb. 12, 2000
Age: 77
Cause: Colon Cancer
No. 4 Charles Schulz
$25 millionCartoonist
Died: Feb. 12, 2000
Age: 77
Cause: Colon Cancer
After last year's Iconix purchase of an 80% stake, Schulz' prized
cartoon characters maintained a bulk of their reported 1,200 licensing
agreements with the likes of Met-Life, Warner Home Video, ABC and
Hallmark. The focus of the last year has been bringing Peanuts to the
digital space, with a Capcom video game, low-priced e-books, a Facebook
application and comics and graphic novels on iTunes.
No. 5 John Lennon (tie)
$12 millionMusician
Died: Dec. 8, 1980
Age: 40
Cause: Murder
Though the former Beatle was killed in
New York City over 30 years ago, his estate continues to collect cash.
Buoyed by their long-awaited inclusion in the iTunes Store, the Beatles
sold 1.6 million albums in 2010, tenth-best of any musical act dead or
alive. In addition to royalties from those sales, Lennon earns from the
group’s Cirque du Soleil show and from licensing deals with the likes of
Cisco and Mont Blanc.
No. 5 Elizabeth Taylor (tie)
$12 millionActress
Died: March 23, 2011
Age: 79
Cause: Heart Failure
Taylor was the last of the truly glamorous movie stars. She’s already earning big from her successful perfume, White Diamonds. In December Christie’s will auction off the star’s jewels, art and gowns in a sale that is expected to bring in at least $30 million. After that, it will be up to her estate’s executors to decide if they want to license Taylor’s image or keep her profile low.
No. 7 Albert Einstein
$10 millionScientist
Died: April 18, 1955
Age: 76
Cause: Natural causes
No. 8 Theodor Geisel
$9 millionAuthor
Died: Sept. 24, 1991
Age: 87
Cause: Natural causes
No. 9 Jimi Hendrix (tie)
$7 millionMusician
Died: Sept. 18, 1970
Age: 27
Cause: Overdose
No. 9 Stieg Larsson (tie)
$7 millionAuthor
Died: Nov. 9, 2004
Age: 50
Cause: Heart attack
No. 9 Steve McQueen (tie)
$7 millionActor
Died: Nov. 30, 1980
Age: 50
Cause: Complications from surgery
No. 9 Richard Rodgers (tie)
$7 millionSong writer
Died: Dec. 30, 1979
Age: 77
Cause: Chronic illness
No. 13 George Harrison (tie)
$6 millionMusician
Died: Nov. 29, 2001
Age: 58
Cause: Cancer
No. 13 Bettie Page (tie)
$6 millionActress
Died: Dec. 11, 2008
Age: 85
Cause: Natural causes
No. 13 Andy Warhol (tie)
$6 millionArtist
Died: Feb. 22, 1987
Age: 58
Cause: Complications from surgery
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