Just because a celebrity passes on to the other side, does not mean the money ceases to come in. Subsequently, Forbes just released its list of highest-paid dead celebs for the past year, topped by none other than the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
Jackson earned an incredible $400 million this past year, largely due to the sale of his EMI Music Publishing stake. Additional income came from his Mijac Music catalogue, a new record deal with Sony, and various other projects including Michael Jackson’s Halloween TV special.
As could be expected, no other deceased celebrity came close to MJ’s income over the past year, as Elvis Presley brought in $40 million, followed by golf legend Arnold Palmer and his $35 million. Rounding out the top five are legendary cartoonist Charles Schulz ($34 million) and Bob Marley ($23 million).
The remaining top ten includes Dr. Seuss ($16 million), Hugh Hefner ($15 million), Marilyn Monroe ($14 million), Prince ($13 million), and John Lennon ($12 million).
Follow on over to Forbes for a detailed look at the publication’s highest-paid dead celebrities list.
Up next, read our interview with entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk as he discusses sneakers and hip-hop’s cultural domination.
- Source: Forbes
