THE HIGHEST-PAID DEAD CELEBRITIES

10.John Lennon

$12 million

Musician

Died: December 8, 1980

Age: 40

Cause: Homicide

Between his solo work and his Beatles oeuvre, Lennon continues to sell nearly 2 million albums annually.


9.Prince


$13 million

Musician, Actor

Died: April 21, 2016

Age: 57

Cause: Overdose

The Purple One is rolling in green, having sold a quarter-million physical albums over the past 12 months.


8.Marilyn Monroe

$14 million

Actor

Died: August 5, 1962

Age: 36

Cause: Overdose

Marilyn is back on the list this year thanks to new licensing deals, including Montblanc pens.


7.Hugh Hefner

$15 million

Media Mogul

Died: September 27, 2017

Age: 91

Cause: Cardiac arrest

The Playboy founder got lucky one last time when his heirs sold the remaining portion of his estate for an estimated $35 million last year, getting more than a third up front.


6.Dr. Seuss

$16 million

Author

Died: September 24, 1991

Age: 87

Cause: Cancer

The good doctor sold 4.8 million books last year.


5.Bob Marley

$23 million

Died: May 11, 1981

Age: 36

Cause: Cancer

Products include headphones and Marley Natural cannabis and smoking accessories.


4.Charles Schulz

$34 million

Cartoonist

Died: February 12, 2000

Age: 77

Cause: Colon Cancer

Snoopy sure is one pedigreed beagle: DHX Media paid $345 million in 2017 to get 80% of the Peanuts business previously owned by Iconix.


3.Arnold Palmer

$35 million

Athlete

Died: September 25, 2016

Age: 87

Cause: Heart disease

Mmm! There’s a new addition to the Arnold Palmer beverage line: an alcoholic version made in conjunction with MolsonCoors.


2.Elvis Presley

$40 million

Musician, Actor

Died: August 16, 1977

Age: 42

Cause: Heart Attack

He still moves more than 1 million albums every year, but the bulk of the King’s coin comes from tickets to Graceland and a new $45 million entertainment complex called Elvis Presley’s Memphis.


1.Michael Jackson 

$400 million

Musician

Died: June 25, 2009

Age: 50

Cause: Overdose/Homicide

Jackson’s posthumous roll continues, bringing in $287 million recently from the sale of his estate’s stake in EMI Music Publishing to Sony.

































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