From Michael Jackson To John Lennon: Forbes List Of Highest Paid Dead Celebrities 2023 Revealed

For the first time in four years, the 'King of Pop' Michael Jackson has returned to the top of the world¡¯s richest dead celebrities list, with an earning of $115 million in the past twelve months. He has replaced English writer and philologist J.R.R. Tolkien, who had topped last year¡¯s Forbes list.

In total, the world's 13 highest-paid dead celebrities earned about $470 million during the past year.

Who Are The World¡¯s Highest Paid Dead Celebrities?

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Also Read: Forbes 2022 List Of The Highest-Paid Dead Celebrities

1 | $115 Million-MICHAEL JACKSON

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The King of Pop returns to the top of the highest-earning dead celebrities list for the first time since 2019 thanks to the Broadway hit MJ: The Musical, which grossed some $85 million in ticket sales over the past year.

Jackson also rings up millions from the Cirque du Soleil show, Michael Jackson ONE, in Las Vegas. His earnings should continue to rise¡ªearlier this year the estate signed onto Michael, a biopic to be directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jackson¡¯s nephew Jaafar.

2 | $100 Million-ELVIS PRESLEY

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Though Elvis left the building nearly 50 years ago, it¡¯s still good to be the King. Graceland, Presley¡¯s home in Memphis, Tennessee, saw some 600,000 visitors in the last 12 months and the estate has multiple sources of income, including tickets and merchandise.

After the January death of Elvis¡¯ only daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, from cardiac arrest, his ex-wife, Priscilla, and granddaughter Riley Keough entered into a contentious legal battle for control of the two estates. Keough, a 34-year-old actress who stars in Daisy Jones and the Six, ended up as the sole trustee of both.

3 | $45 Million-RAY MANZAREK

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In one of this year¡¯s few major music catalogue deals, the deceased Doors keyboard player Ray Manzarek and living guitarist Robby Krieger jointly sold their rights to the band¡¯s music to Primary Wave. The acquisition included rights to their recorded music, publishing, trademarks and merchandising, and related income. Drummer John Densmore and the estate of Jim Morrison maintain their stakes in the Doors¡¯ rights.

Also Read: Forbes Reveals Top Indian Cities With Most Number Of Billionaires

4 | $40 Million-DR. SEUSS

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Young readers still can¡¯t get enough of the books written and illustrated by Theodor Seuss Geisel and his back catalogue sales and new releases¡ªlike How the Grinch Lost Christmas¡ªmake up a majority of his lucrative annual earnings. The rest of Dr. Seuss¡¯ income comes from licensing his classic characters such as the Grinch, the Cat in the Hat and the Lorax, which increased since last year.

5 | $30 Million-CHARLES M. SCHULZ

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Charlie Brown famously got a rock for Halloween, but the Schulz estate has been on a financial roll for more than a decade. The Peanuts gang continued its work with Apple¡ªwhich now airs its holiday specials¡ªwith a line of digital faces for the brand¡¯s watches.

Fans of Snoopy, Linus and Lucy can also stock up on branded cookware at Williams Sonoma, sneakers from Cariuma and Igloo Coolers, and brand collaborations which were all released this year. It¡¯s almost better than a visit from the Great Pumpkin, the Forbes report mentioned.

6 | $30 Million-PRINCE

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Prince famously called the afterlife ¡°a world of never-ending happiness.¡± For his estate¡ªand Primary Wave, which owns a stake in his masters royalties, writer¡¯s share, name and likeness¡ªthat means publishing more music.

Since Prince¡¯s death in 2016, the Purple One has released three posthumous albums. And later this month, a remastered version of his classic 1991 album Diamonds and Pearls is dropping. The box set features 47 unreleased songs and hours of never-before-seen concert footage.

7 | $30 Million-WHITNEY HOUSTON

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Whitney Houston would have turned 60 in 2023¡ªand her fans will always love her. Her estate is simultaneously celebrating its biggest year yet, thanks to a biopic and several brand collaborations. In December, the film Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody grossed nearly $60 million worldwide. MAC Cosmetics released a makeup collection with the Houston estate, which is run by her sister-in-law, Pat Houston, and Primary Wave.

8 | $22 Million-JOHN LENNON

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The Beatles may have understood that money can¡¯t buy you love, but just in case they were wrong, the estate of John Lennon has plenty of it. Once again, Lennon earned steady royalties from his individual music catalogue as well as his share of Beatles music. That catalogue is still growing: this week, the group¡¯s final song together, ¡°Now and Then¡± will be released, thanks to the help of artificial intelligence. It¡¯s based on one of Lennon¡¯s demos from the 1970s, which didn¡¯t make the cut for the group¡¯s Anthology album.

9 | $16 Million-BOB MARLEY

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More than 40 years after Bob Marley¡¯s death, his music is still in high demand. As are the rights to his name and likeness, which can be found on headphones, speakers, sneakers and, yes, cannabis. Earlier this year, the first Marley-branded dispensary opened in his native Jamaica. And next year, the movie Bob Marley: One Love, starring Kingsley Ben Adir, hits the big screen.

10 | $14 Million-BING CROSBY

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Mariah Carey might be the queen of Christmas, but for generations of music fans Bing remains the king. His estate still rakes in royalties from his music catalogue and the use of his songs. Earlier this month, the Crosby estate released the posthumous album Bing Crosby¡¯s Christmas Gems, which brought archival material and rare recordings to streaming services just in time for the holiday season. The new release includes the digital debut of Crosby¡¯s duet with David Bowie, ¡°Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy¡± but leaves out his biggest hit, White Christmas, as per Forbes report.

Other Dead Celebrities on the Forbes List

11 | $14 Million-GEORGE HARRISON

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Like John Lennon, George Harrison earns a steady income from his years with the Beatles and as a solo musician. The Fab Two also take in a portion from the psychedelic Cirque du Soleil show based on the Beatles catalogue, LOVE.

12 | $10 Million-ARNOLD PALMER

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Though he made his fortune playing golf, Arnold Palmer earns royalties from the sale of his signature half-lemonade, half-iced tea beverage enterprise. In 2018, his namesake beverage brand also launched a spiked line of Arnold Palmer drinks, which has expanded its flavour offerings as the hard tea market grows.

13 | $10 Million-MARILYN MONROE

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Marilyn Monroe¡¯s iconic image is still setting fashion and design trends more than sixty years after her death. The star raked in millions from licensing and merchandising¡ªincluding an NFT collection with Zeblocks, false lashes and press-on nails from Kiss, and a lingerie line with Fleur du Mal, Forbes report.

How Were Their Earnings Calculated?

This year's dead celebrity ranking includes pretax earnings from sales, streams, licensing deals and other sources between October 1, 2022, and September 30, 2023, as well as estate acquisitions made or announced during the same period. Forbes compiles the numbers with the help of data from Luminate and interviews with industry insiders. Fees for agents, managers and lawyers are not deducted.

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