Top Earning Dead Celebrities

The people at Forbes.com sure have a lot of imagination when it comes to making their tops. This time, it's a really impressive one about...Top-Earning Dead Celebrities. Yes, I know, it's an eerie thought, but the names on the list they put together will change your mind about thinking this is some sort of a hoax. No, actually, it's the real deal, and it's about celebrities which still manage to be huge money spinners, even beyond the grave.

Not surprisingly, Elvis Presley has been named the top earning dead celebrity of 2007. The king of rock'n'roll is said to have earned $49 million in royalties between October 2006 and October 2007, which placed him first in this year's Forbes.com 13 richest deceased stars. The fact is, Elvis should have a whole top dedicated to himself, as he seems to be just as present now as he used to be when he was alive - and I'm sure you know I mean that in more ways than one.

Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain made his debut in the list last year at number one, knocking Elvis from his top spot for the first time ever, but this year he failed to be placed at all. One explanation for the absence of the legendary Cobain from this year's top is that last year, Cobain's controversial widow Courtney Love sold his song rights, boosting his annual earnings to a phenomenal $50 million - and no such spectacular transaction happened this year.

It's interesting to note that Elvis' earnings have continued to rise since he first topped the list in 2001 with $35 million. In 2006, he earned $44 million. Beatles legend John Lennon was second this year with earnings of $44 million, while Charles M. Schulz, the cartoonist who created Snoopy, was ranked third with $35 million. The American actor Steve McQueen, known to us as "the king of cool", was also a new addition to the list this year, earning no less than $6 million.

James Brown, who died on December 25 last year, also made his first appearance on the list earning $5 million since his death. It seems that it's not such a bad thing to be dead - in some cases, in fact, it actually helps. So I guess that story about a celebrity having to be dead to acquire real value is true after all, especially (or particularly) when it comes to money. Their gain, our loss.

Forbes.com's Top-Earning Dead Celebrities 2007:

1. Elvis Presley - $49 million
2. John Lennon - $44 million
3. Charles M. Schulz - $35 million
4. George Harrison - $22 million
5. Albert Einstein - $18 million
6. Andy Warhol - $15 million
7. Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) - $13 million
8. Tupac Shakur - $9 million
9. Marilyn Monroe - $7 million
10. Steve McQueen - $6 million
11. James Brown - $5 million
12. Bob Marley - $4 million
13. James Dean - $3.5 million