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10 Dead Celebrities That Still Make Millions

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Success of some significant people never dies. This is especially true for artists, inventors and scientists that left the world with their creations or findings.

 

Whether it is their evergreen TV shows, books or songs, every time the content in these are used by a publishing house, the celebrity's estate makes money from selling the license to use it.

Along with its varied rich-lists, Forbes Magazine also compiles a list on "The Highest-Paid Dead Celebrities" each year. Here are the top ten celebrities on this list for the year 2018:

10. John Lennon

10. John Lennon

2018 earnings: USD 12 million

English songwriter and singer, best known to have co-founded one of the most commercially successful bands, 'the Beatles,' died on 8 December 1980 after he was shot four times in the back by a fan in the US. He was 40 years old.

He continues to make money from his solo as well as Beatles work. According to Forbes Magazine, Lennon continues to sell nearly 2 million albums annually.

9. Prince

9. Prince

2018 earnings: USD 13 million

Prince Rogers Nelson, better known as "Prince" was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor.

A press release made after his death said that he died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, at the age of 57 on 21 April, 2016.

With a career expanding 4 decades, Prince sold  a quarter-million physical albums between November 2017 and October 2018 alone.

8. Marilyn Monroe
 

8. Marilyn Monroe

2018 earnings: USD 14 million

The actor, died on 5 August 1962 at the age of 36 from acute barbiturate poisoning.

Monroe, who continues to remain a pop culture icon, more than half a century after her death, regained a spot on the 2018 list of Highest-Paid Dead Celebrities due to new licensing deals, including Montblanc pens.

7. Hugh Hefner

7. Hugh Hefner

2018 earnings: USD 15 million

Founder of the popular American magazine 'Playboy' died on 27 September 2017 of cardiac arrest. He was 91 years old at the time of death.

He made it to the 2018 list were mainly from the sale of the remaining portion of his estate for an estimated $35 million at the end of 2017, by his heirs.

6. Dr. Suess

6. Dr. Suess

2018 earnings: USD 16 million

Known by his pen name Doctor Suess, Theodor Seuss Geisel, was an American children's author, political cartoonist, and animator. He has written and illustrated over 60 books.

He died on 24 September 1991 at the age of 87 from cancer. He sold 4.8 million books in 2017.

5. Bob Marley

5. Bob Marley

2018 earnings: USD 23 million

Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, the Jamaican singer and songwriter has remained a pop culture icon even after his death on 11 May, 1981. He died at the age of 36 from skin cancer.

For the year in review, he earned revenue from sale of products including headphones, Marley Natural cannabis and smoking accessories.

4. Charles Schulz

4. Charles Schulz

2018 earnings: USD 34 million

Creator of one of the most popular comic strips, "Peanuts," the American cartoonist continues to make money from TV specials and merchandise sold with popular Peanuts characters- Snoopy and Charlie Brown.

He died on 12 February 2000 from Colon Cancer at the age of 77.

3. Arnold Palmer

3. Arnold Palmer

2018 earnings: USD 35 million

Arnold Daniel Palmer was an American professional golfer who died on 25 September 2016 from a heart disease. Palmer had a diverse golf-related business career.

The most recent product being a beverage known as "the Arnold Palmer", which combines sweet iced tea with lemonade.

2. Elvis Presley

2. Elvis Presley

2018 earnings: USD 40 million

Considered the "King of Rock and Roll," the American singer, musician, and actor is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, especially in the US. He died on 16 August 1977 of an heart attack at the age of 42.

He continues to sell over 1 million albums every year, but the bulk of the King's earnings come from tickets to Graceland and a new $45 million entertainment complex called Elvis Presley's Memphis.

1. Michael Jackson

1. Michael Jackson

2018 earnings: USD 400 million

The "King of Pop," who needs to introduction, made ten times more than the number 2 on this list in 2018.

A major portion of the earnings for the year comes from the sale of his EMI Music Publishing stake to Sony for USD 287 million.

Rest of the income comes from his Mijac Music catalogue, a new Sony record deal and projects like his TV special "Michael Jackson's Halloween", which returned to the American TV channel CBS for the second consecutive year.

Read more about: forbes
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