14 DAY TRIAL // Since he’s been named the Ultimate Global Music Icon of all times, it’s no wonder that Michael Jackson is also the top-earning deceased artist, as a recent Forbes list cited by E! Online informs.
Not only has the late King of Pop made a fortune this past year, but the revenue generated by all Michael Jackson-branded products is bigger that that of the all the other stars in the top combined.
The Michael Jackson Estate has made no less than $275 million since the singer’s death in June 2009, after he was administered a lethal dose of Propofol by his personal physician, according to court documents.
“The late King of Pop’s earnings – based on record sales, This Is It box office and DVD receipts, licensing, merchandise and anything else Jackson-related you can think of – also add up to more than what was made by the following 12 fallen stars combined,” E! Online also notes.
The King, Elvis Presley, is second, with $60 million in revenue – not too bad, considering he died in 1977 and, as E! puts it, he didn’t have a concert film showing footage from his final days.
This kind of revenue was made mostly the traditional way: selling records. To this, one may add the Viva Elvis Cirque du Soleil show, Graceland and “all other arenas where Elvis’ image is utilized.”
“Third place goes to the creator of all things Middle-earth, J.R.R. Tolkien, who passed away in 1973, with $50 million, thanks to continued sales of Lord of the Rings books, movies and merchandise,” E! says.
“The upcoming two-part adaptation of The Hobbit is sure to keep the British author high on this list for some time,” the e-zine further notes.
Cartoonist Charles Schulz, who created Peanuts, ranks fourth with $33 million, while fifth place goes to Beatles member John Lennon, who made $17 million in the past year – and should have turned 70 just recently.
The remaining positions in the Forbes list are occupied as follows: Stieg Larsson ($15 million), Dr. Seuss ($11 million), Albert Einstein ($10 million), George Steinbrenner ($8 million), Richard Rogers ($7 million), Jimi Hendrix and Steve McQueen (tied at $6 million), and Aaron Spelling ($5 million).