TOP EARNING DEAD CELEBRITIES

As the world mourns Michael Jackson, the latest celebrity to pass away at a far too early age, we all know his work and image will continue to earn money for a long time to come.  Here is a list of the top five earning dead celebrities for 2008 according to Forbes magazine.  Some of the names may surprise you.  Just how soon will Michael Jackson unseat one of them?

1. Elvis Presley’s earnings of $52 million come from sales of his music, biographies, and Elvis memorabilia.  Elvis’s identity was also recently licensed to developers in Las Vegas who are planning a new Elvis attraction.

2. Despite passing away from cancer in 2000, Charles Schulz’s comic strip  Peanuts still runs in more than 2,400 U.S. newspapers every day. That along with television specials and licensing agreements have earned Schulz $33 million.

3. Heath Ledger’s role as The Joker in Batman The Dark Knight and an advance on his next scheduled film earned him $20 million.

4. Albert Einstein’s image rights belong to licensing giant Corbis and they say that Einstein’s distinctive image is their most requested figure earning them $18 million.

5. Aaron Spelling, creator of classic TV shows such as Charlie’s Angels and Beverly Hills 90210 earned $15 million.  He also owned the rights to the classic Christmas film It’s a Wonderful Life.

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July 6th, 2009 | Tags: Top earning dead celebrities | Category: Daily Blog