The earning power of the estates of deceased celebrities is astounding. According to a list published by Forbes.com, the 13 top-earning dead celebrities earned over $259 million collectively.
Here are the ranked names, their earnings, and a glimpse into the reason for the massive earnings:
| Rank | Name | Date of Death | 2020 Earnings* | Contributing Factors |
| 13 | Marilyn Monroe | August 4, 1962 | $8 million | Netflix biopic, branding, including Dolce & Gabbana, Lego, |
| 12 | George Harrison | November 29, 2001 | $8.5 million | Las Vegas’ Cirque du Soleil’s Love |
| 11 | Freddy Mercury | November 24, 1991 | $9 million | Royalties from biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, related music and merchandise sales |
| 10 | Prince | April 21, 2016 | $10 million | Album sales, streams, royalties |
| 9 | John Lennon | December 8, 1980 | $13 million | Album sales, streams, royalties |
| 8 | Bob Marley | May 11, 1981 | $14 million | Album sales, streams, royalties, merchandise |
| 7 | Juice WRLD | December 8, 2019 | $15 million | Album sales, music streams |
| 6 | Kobe Bryant | January 26, 2020 | $20 million | Merchandising, sale of autobiography |
| 5 | Elvis Presley | August 16, 1977 | $23 million | Down from usual, due to reduced earnings from Elvis’ home/museum Graceland, which usually earns $10 m a year, Netflix animated series |
| 4 | Arnold Palmer | September 25, 2016 | $25 million | (Most surprising to me). Arnold Palmer hit a hole in one with Arizona Beverages to market his eponymous iced tea/lemonade drink, merchandising |
| 3 | Charles Schultz | February 12, 2000 | $32.5 million | Programming royalties, new deal with Apple TV+ for series Snoopy in Space |
| 2 | Dr. Suess | September 24, 1991 | $33 million | Book sales (6 m books in 2019), series deal with Netflix, movie deal for 3 movies with Warner Brothers |
| 1 | Michael Jackson | June 25, 2009 | $48 million | Just because he is The Prince of Pop. |
*based on pre-tax income from October 1, 2019, to October 1, 2020. Fees for agents, managers and lawyers are not deducted.
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