The rap game may bring the bling and millions and DJs still make a pretty mint with their low overheads, but other musicians, it remains a sad fact that one of the most lucrative points in their career is in the ending of it. Literally.
Following on from ranking the world’s highest paid rappers and DJs of 2013, business bible Forbes has turned their eye to the slightly more macabre, revealing a list of the top earning dead celebrities.
Among the list of actors and cultural icons are a handful of music icons whose ongoing popularity has ensured that even though they’ve shuffled off this mortal coil, their legacy continues to rake in millions for their beneficiaries.
Madonna may have topped the list of the year’s highest earning celebrities, with her $125 million empire, but the Queen of Pop still comes second best to the deceased King of Pop.
Michael Jackson has topped the list of the year’s highest earning dead celebrities with a whopping $160 million in revenue. While much of that fortune stems from the sales of his music – from Ben to the countless ‘Best Of’s – it also accounts for money from his share in the Sony/ATV publishing catalogue, which includes hits by big buck earners like The Beatles and Lady Gaga.
Interestingly, this year saw a massive a boost to Jackson’s posthumous bank account through a pair of Cirque du Soleil shows honouring the former King of Pop; Immortal, which has grossed over $300 million since its 2012 opening, and One, whose big finale features a holographic illusion of MJ performing ‘Man In The Mirror’.
He may have permanently left the building more than 35 years ago, but Elvis Presley has proven to be the second highest earning celebrity behind Jackson. There may not be much money going around for impersonators of The King, but the real deal’s estate benefited from an estimated $55 million in the last financial year.
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The next musician on the list ranks at #5, behind Elizabeth Taylor and Peanuts creator Charles M Schulz (who knew Charlie Brown and Snoopy were still so popular? Aside from this Smiths fan, of course) is Bob Marley, with $18 million in deceased dollars. Much of that however is not from the reggae icon’s music, but ‘Marley’s Mellow Mood’ the organic line of drinks that Marley’s family created in 2011, designed to ‘reduce stress and relieve tension.”
Rounding out the list is John Lennon falls just behind, with the ex-Beatle’s posthumous fortune estimated at $12 million, which will likely skyrocket if the dentist who plans to clone the legendary singer-songwriter from a rotten tooth gets his way.
Rounding out the list of the celebrities who are R.I.P (Rolling in it In Peace) is Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera, who died in a plane crash in December 2012 but has since gone on to sell over 880,000 records, 400,000 copies of her autobiography Unbreakable: My Story, My Way, and an audience of 5.5 million from the screening of reality show, I Love Jenni. Combined, it’s meant she’s worth $7 million in death.
All which goes to show that the grisly truth is that the best career advice may be to actually perish, especially if it’s at the mysterious age of 27.
Top-Earning Dead Celebrities Of 2013
According to Forbes
1. Michael Jackson – $160 million
2. Elvis Presley – $55 million
3. Charles Schulz – $37 million
4. Elizabeth Taylor – $25 million
5. Bob Marley – $18 million
6. Marilyn Monroe – $15 million
7. John Lennon – $12 million
8. Albert Einstein – $10 million
8. Bettie Page – $10 million
10. Theodor Geisel – $9 million
10. Steve McQueen – $9 million
12. Bruce Lee – $7 million
12. Jenni Rivera – $7 million
