Top 10 earning dead celebrities!
If you’re famous enough, even the small matter of being dead can’t stop you from making a very good living. Forbes looked at the earnings of deceased celebrities’ estates for the twelve months ending October 2012. Here are the ten biggest winners.
1. Elizabeth Taylor (d. 2011): $210m.A sale of the film star’s jewellery and artwork raised $184m last year.
2. Michael Jackson (d. 2009): $145m. The singer earned more last year than any living musician. Money comes from his estate’s ownership of the rights to his own songs and those of many other artists.
3. Elvis Presley (d. 1977): $55m. Visits to the King’s Graceland estate were up last year due to unseasonably warm weather.
4. Charles Schulz (d. 2000): $37m. The Charlie Brown cartoonist’s estate makes money from licensing deals for his Peanuts characters, and a film is now in the works.
5. Bob Marley (d. 1981): $17m. Album sales and product branding (including a line of beverages) have helped fill the reggae singer’s coffers.
6. John Lennon (d. 1980): $12m. The ex-Beatle’s estate shares in the profits from the group’s ongoing music sales, and also profits from licensing deals.
7. Marilyn Monroe (d. 1962): $10m. The actress’s estate will see its earnings boosted by the licensing of her name to products including spas and cafés.
8. Albert Einstein (d. 1955): $10m. As with Marilyn Monroe, the scientist’s earnings come largely from the licensing of his image for branding purposes.
9. Theodor Geisel (d. 1991): $9m. The Dr Seuss author’s estate makes money from book sales and film rights.
10. Steve McQueen (d.1980): $8m. Image rights – from brands keen to acquire McQueen’s mystique – account for the majority of the actor’s earnings.
Here’s where I found this; Top 10 earning dead celebrities :: TEN.
Day One 
Huh – who would have thunk it?
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I know! It’s not fair!!
What I find really incongruous is that Albert Einstein earns money for his image, not for any of his work! At least the others are earning money for what they did in their lives!
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Hello there.. hehe.. Now I have added you and your blog so I can see what you are up to;) About this dead celebrities I think it is so outrages they still get the money.. I understand if there are any family left. but I really think there is somebody that earn money and put them directly into their own pocket… well one day they will be caught ;)… See you soon on one of the blogs
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I’ve only just found your comment! WordPress put it in my Spam folder 😦 Very cross!
Thanks for adding me too 🙂
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have you seen the christmas site I am doing ? – I have a co-writer from Norway – and it is pretty fun to do… so save it for December? http://www.starhouse.nl/star24/ there will probably one thing each day in December 😉
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But you can’t take it with you when you go! 🙂
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Indeed, and some of these are LONG gone!
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I’m amazed that Elizabeth Taylor is worth so much — I guess all those baubles from Richard Burton et al really did add up!
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Yes, i wonder was it Liz’s own artwork, or art that she owned?
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I expect my estate will earn about as much as this blog.
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Hmmm.. Mine too. I think I’ve earned about $2 so far.
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